It's The Little Things You Do
by BDavis427
Summary: School shooting Brooke gets shot instead of Peyton, Brooke and Lucas aren't together and currently Brooke hates Lucas, so what happens when the one person Brooke can't even look at comes to her rescue when she truly needs him? Better summary inside. BL
1. That One Fateful Day

I always kind of wondered what would happen if Brooke was the one who was trapped in the library and got shot instead of Peyto

I always kind of wondered what would happen if Brooke was the one who was trapped in the library and got shot instead of Peyton in the school shooting episode so that's where this fic comes in...

_**Background:**_

Brooke never gave Lucas her letters, Lucas doesn't know about the letters, so pretty much everything in season 3 between Brucas leading up to the school shooting episode did **not **happen. Brooke and Lucas are not together and Brooke hasn't been herself since the break up. She talks to Nathan, Haley, Peyton and Jake but not Lucas. Brooke still found out about Lucas and Peyton and forgave Peyton but has yet to forgive Lucas. Lucas wakes up everyday regretting the mistake he made with Peyton and the fact that Brooke won't even look at him anymore. Jake came back and he and Peyton got together shortly there after. Nathan and Haley reconciled after she came back from the tour and are better than ever. What happens when the person Brooke can't even look at comes to her rescue when she truly needs him?

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Chapter One: That One Fateful Day

"Brooke, are you sure you're okay?" Peyton asked her best friend as they walked into school.

"Yes!" Brooke yelled, clearly frustrated. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"Oh I don't know probably because you've been acting super distant from all of us since you and Lucas broke up." Peyton told her best friend.

"I'm not acting distant." Brooke responded defensively.

"Okay, you just go on believing that." Peyton laughed.

"Fine, to prove I'm not acting 'distant,' why don't you and Naley all come over this weekend and hang out." Brooke said.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Peyton asked.

"Peyton, don't start." Brooke warned.

"All I'm saying is that you gave me a second chance, why can't you give him one?"

"To tell you the truth I really don't know why I forgave you in the first place. I guess I just thought that you were my best friend and those are hard to find these days." Brooke replied honestly.

"A best friend is hard to find? You're Brooke Davis captain of the cheerleading squad and student body president; everyone in this school wants to be your best friend." Peyton exclaimed.

"Yeah but those people don't really matter because they just want to be my friend because I'm popular. You on the other hand have been with me through thick and thin, you've always been there when I needed you most and I know that you always will be and I don't think anyone could ever live up to being the best friend that you are P.Sawyer." Brooke told her best friend.

"You're the best kind of friend a girl could ask for, you know that?" Peyton asked hooking her arm around Brooke's.

"I know." Brooke laughed.

"So, do you think that you and Lucas could maybe try to work things out? Maybe having us all there won't be so bad, it may ease you're nerves." Peyton said.

"I'm just scared." Brooke replied.

"Scared of what?" asked Peyton.

"Scared that I'm going to fall in love with him all over again." Brooke whispered avoiding eye contact with Peyton for as long as possible.

"What?!" Peyton exclaimed. "Brooke you have to tell him how you feel!"

"No! And you cannot tell him what I just told you." Brooke warned.

"Fine, but for all you know he could feel the same way…" Peyton said nudging Brooke's side.

"It's just better this way Peyt—" Brooke started to say but completely went blank when she turned the corner and saw Jimmy Edwards standing less than 30 feet in front of her with a gun pointed directly at her and Peyton.

The events that followed were a blur for everyone in the school. Students yelling and screaming, papers flying everywhere, tears running down perfectly made up cheeks, everyone looking for safety in a place most expected to be safe.

Just as the boys varsity basketball team was unloading off the bus after their rigorous morning practice, students were fleeing the building from every direction. Peyton was one of them and she flung herself at Lucas, the first person she knew since exiting the building.

"What's going on?" Lucas yelled.

"Someone…gun…Brooke's inside…sorry." Peyton tried to explain but she couldn't form the words.

"Brooke's in there?" exclaimed Lucas.

"I'm so sorry Luke, I thought she was behind me but she wasn't." Peyton sobbed.

The thought of his Pretty Girl in there alone with a gunman scared Lucas half to death. If something happened to her and she didn't know how he really felt about her he didn't know how he could go on living in a world with no Brooke Davis. This thought alone caused him to sprint into the school ignoring Whitey who was ordering him back on the bus. Peyton, against her will, was shoved onto the bus and brought to the old gym the boys had just left.

"Lucas!" Whitey called after him.

"I can't leave Brooke in there, she hates being alone!" Lucas yelled back, his voice cracking.

Nathan had pushed his way off the bus and was running after his brother, he wasn't going to let him go in that building if he had anything to do with it.

"Let go of me!" Lucas screamed at Nathan who had grabbed hold of Lucas' arm.

"You're crazy if you think you're going in there!" Nathan told his brother.

"What if it was Haley?" Lucas asked, at this Nathan immediately tensed up.

"Go get Brooke." Nathan whispered, releasing his tight grip he had on his brother.

"Come with me and get Haley." Lucas responded.

At that moment Nathan realized that he hadn't seen Haley fleeing from the building and a single thought dawned on him. She's always in the tutor center before school starts.

"Let's go." Nathan said. And with that the Scott brothers ran into the school not listening to a hysterical Whitey screaming at them to get back on the damn bus.

Once they got into the school they found it was barren except for the notebooks, backpacks and papers that had been strewn across the hallways when the first gunshot when off.

"Oh my god." Lucas whispered.

"What?" Nathan asked.

"There's blood." Lucas said pointing down to a small pool of blood on the floor.

"Don't assume anything Luke, it's probably not Brooke's." Nathan tried to comfort his brother but he didn't really believe his own words.

"I'm going to follow the blood, you go find Haley." Lucas told his brother.

"All right." Nathan responded.

"Nate," Lucas called after his brother.

"Yeah man?"

"Be careful."

"You too." Nathan said.

After following the trail of blood down several hallways Lucas finally came to the library. Great, this is probably the best place for the gunman to hide, there are so many places he can hide behind in here, Lucas thought to himself. Cautiously walking into the library still following the trial Lucas turned a corner, raised his bat and opened his mouth ready to say something but stopped suddenly when he realized who was sitting before him.

"Ah." Brooke whimpered in pain and in fear.

"Oh my god, Brooke come here." Lucas said gently sitting down next to her and pulling her close to him.

"Brooke, it's okay." Lucas told her when he felt her tense up as he pulled her shaking body closer to him.

"What are you doing here?" Brooke asked weakly.

"I'm here because you need me." He told her. "When we were together I told you I'd save you."

"This isn't what I had in mind." Brooke weakly laughed.

"Pretty Girl, you know that you're bleeding pretty badly right?" Lucas asked referring to the deep red blood that had soaked through her jeans and was beginning to stain the carpet.

"Yeah, I know but it's just glass so it's okay." Brooke responded.

Lucas took a closer look at her leg and it was not just glass. There was a bullet in her leg. A bullet was in his Pretty Girl's leg.

"Yeah, it's just glass." Lucas replied meekly, not taking his eyes off her leg.

After tying his shirt around her leg to try and stop some of the bleeding that would not seem to let up, Lucas returned to his former position wrapping his arm around Brooke's waist.

"Luke, is it normal for me to feel tired?" Brooke asked resting her head on his shoulder.

"Brooke, I need you to stay awake for me okay?" Lucas told her.

"I can't. It's too hard." She responded.

"I know it's hard but you need to. Here, let's play a game. You tell me about a good day and I'll tell you one of my good days, okay?" Lucas asked her.

Brooke slowly nodded her head.

"The day I won the election at school." Brooke said.

"Why that day?" Lucas asked.

"Because that was the first day that I felt like other people believed in me, like they thought Brooke Davis **can** do this. I felt like I was important to them and that they felt like they could talk to me about things I could try to get changed for school. For once people didn't like me because of my money or my looks or the fact that I'm Brooke Davis captain of the cheerleading squad. I was Brooke Davis Student Body President. You probably think that it's stupid because people always believe in you and I'm sure you really can't relate but for me, my own parents don't believe in me and the fact that the student body does is pretty amazing to me. Oh, and there's one other day that was a good one for me, the day I got my first DW Not I phone call. When Emily Shore called me and said she needed me to pick her up because she was too intoxicated to drive something dawned on me: I was that person not too long ago and look at how far I've come. I know that some people may not look at it this way but I changed someone's life, I did a good thing Broody." Brooke gasped when she said her own special nickname for him, she really didn't mean for it to come out.

"Lucas I'm sorry, it slipped." Brooke said looking up at him.

"It's okay." Lucas told her. He would have said more but he really was at a loss for words, Brooke had never opened up that much to him. Sure she had told him personal things before but the fact that she felt that no one believed in her before was enough to break his heart.

"Brooke?"

"Yeah?"

"I've always believed in you, Pretty Girl." Lucas whispered.

"Please Luke, don't." She pleaded.

"Don't what? Don't tell you that I've always believed in you? Don't tell you that you are an amazing person? Don't tell you that I beat myself up constantly for cheating on you? Don't tell you that I still love you?" Lucas silently cursed himself for letting that huge piece of information leave his lips. True, he loves her more than life itself but Brooke Davis wasn't supposed to know that.

"You wha- what?" Brooke managed to get out.

"I still love you Pretty Girl." Lucas told her.

"No, you can't!" Brooke yelled.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because I'm not good enough. I never was and I never will be, that's why you cheated on me with Peyton. I was never good enough. I'll never be pretty enough, strong enough, talented enough, popular enough, smart enough. Never Luke. You can't love me, I'm unlovable." She said between sobs.

"Brooke, is that what you think? That I cheated on you with Peyton because you weren't good enough?" Lucas asked, his heart full of pain.

"Yes." Brooke weakly responded.

"That's not true at all Pretty Girl. Look at me," Lucas said to her placing her chin in his strong hand. "Peyton and I got caught up in the moment and we never meant to hurt you. You will always be good enough for me Brooke Davis." Lucas said placing a kiss on her lips, which to his surprise she returned by placing her small delicate hands on his freshly shaven face and they only separated when air became an issue.

"I love you so much Luke but it scares me." Brooke told him.

"What does?" Lucas inquired.

"The effect you have on me. When you found me in here all I thought was Oh great, just who I want to see. But when you wrapped your arms around me everything felt like it's supposed to. Just an hour ago, I hated you so much but now look at me I just told you I loved you Luke! It scares me because I feel so safe next to you, a feeling I don't feel often. And it scares me how much I love you Lucas. I love you so much that I'm scared to get close to you again. I know you said you wouldn't hurt me again like you did before and I believe you, but I'm just scared that one day you'll wake up and not want me, kind of like my parents. You make me **so** happy Luke, the way you can make me feel better no matter what kind of hell I've been through, the way I know you'll always be there, and the way you make me want to be a better person. I do love you I'm just scared." Brooke said with tears falling down her porcelain skin.

"It's okay to be scared Brooke, we all are." Lucas said as he rubbed small circles on her back trying to comfort her.

"Just promise me we'll make it this time." Brooke said.

"I promise Pretty Girl," Lucas responded kissing her. "Now let's get you out of here."

"Luke, I can't walk though I'm too weak and it hurts." Brooke told her boyfriend.

"I know, that's why I'm going to carry you out of here." Lucas said as he stood up.

"No one is going anywhere." Jimmy Edwards stated as he walked into the library pointing the gun at the couple and pushing Haley, Nathan, Bevin, Skills, and Mouth all who's faces where ghostly white, in front of him.

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**So, do you all like it? Should I continue? Let me know by leaving lots of reviews, they make me happy!! **


	2. Gunman's Confessions

All I have to say is wow

All I have to say is _**Wow**_! The reviews I got for the first chapter were amazing, thanks to everyone who left one they all made me smile, I love opening up my e-mail and seeing all of the 'Review Alerts.' Thanks so much guys! ((Oh and I have another fanfic if you like this one then you'll probably like that one too it's titled **I Want You To Need Me **please check it out!)). Here's chapter 2.

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Chapter 2: Gunman's Confessions

"Jim, what are you doing?" Lucas asked shakily. He couldn't believe that the guy who sat on the sidelines at the River Court at every game Lucas played, had a gun in his hand and was pointing it at him as well as his Cheery.

"Doing what I should have done a long time ago." Jimmy said through clenched teeth.

"You don't mean that." Brooke whispered.

"Like hell I don't –" Jimmy stopped short when he saw Brooke's leg that was pouring out blood. "I didn't mean to." He stammered.

"I know you didn't Jimmy, but you still did it." She said.

"I didn't want anyone to get hurt, I just wanted people to notice me for once, I wanted to scare people." Jimmy expressed.

"What are you talking about?" Nathan asked.

"Luke, you walk by me every damn day and don't say anything to me. I sat at the River Court day in and day out watching you and commenting on your plays, and now you don't even notice me. It's like once you became part of the Ravens it was like "so long suckers, hello jocks." You know that's how it is." Jimmy exclaimed.

"I didn't mean for it to be like that, I swear." Lucas whispered, Jimmy was right. He really hadn't paid much attention to him ever since he joined the team. "I'm sorry Jim." He whispered.

"Well it's too late." Jimmy told him through clenched teeth.

"Luke?" Brooke asked barely audible.

"What is it Pretty Girl?" Lucas asked her.

"I don't think I can stay awake much longer." She told him as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Brooke, babe, I need you to stay awake for me." He said as he caressed he cheek looking into her eyes.

"I don't think I can." Brooke whispered before her head drooped and her eyes closed.

"Brooke, wake up." Lucas pleaded as he gently rubbed her back.

"Jimmy, let them go. Brooke needs medical help." Haley begged.

"I can't!" Jimmy yelled. "Because if I let them go, the SWAT team is going to rush in here and take me off to jail." He cried.

"Isn't that better than the alternative?" Skills asked.

"No, truthfully I'd rather be dead." He said.

"Jimmy, I really need to get her out of here." Lucas said as he looked up at the guy he used to call one of his best friends, now he had transformed into someone he didn't recognize.

"No!" Jimmy screamed.

"Jimmy, let him take her out of here." Nathan said calmly.

Lucas stood up and bent back down to pick Brooke up who had begun to stir and had opened her eyes, when Jimmy noticed what he was doing.

"Put her down!" He yelled at Lucas.

"Jimmy, she needs to get out of here or else she may die." Lucas told him.

"I said put her down!" He screamed.

"Jim, please." Brooke whispered.

Lucas started to walk towards the library doors; he wasn't going to let his Pretty Girl die in that library.

"Lucas." Jimmy called after the blonde.

"Yeah?" Lucas asked as he turned around to see the gun pointing right at him.

"No!" Brooke screamed as she moved her leg in front of where Jimmy was aiming at her Broody.

"Brooke!" Lucas screamed after the gun went off and he realized what she had done.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't let him shoot you." She whispered.

Lucas gently lay her down on the library floor and began panicking, his Pretty Girl had just taken a bullet for him, she had just saved his life and now hers was hanging in the balance. Why did this have to happen to them? To her? No one had expected this when they were getting dressed for school this morning; it was just another ordinary day. But everyone knew that from this day forward nothing would be 'ordinary' anymore.

"Nathan, give me your shirt." Lucas said to his brother.

Nathan immediately ripped off his blue dress shirt and handed it to his brother, within seconds after the gun went off Haley, Bevin, Mouth, Skills and Nathan were by Brooke's side. Lucas took Nathan's shirt and tied it around Brooke's left leg to try to stop the bleeding, but it was no use. This gunshot had penetrated deeper into her leg causing much more blood than the first wound.

"Broody, it hurts." Brooke mumbled.

"I know babe, but I need you to hold on for me okay?" Lucas begged her.

"I'll try." She told him.

"I'm going to save you, I promise." Lucas said as he kissed her.

"Jimmy, you need to let them out of here!" Bevin yelled.

"Whoa, babe calm down." Skills whispered to her.

"Skills, don't tell me to calm down, my best friend's life is hanging in the balance because of this asshole who brought a gun into school today so 'people would notice him.' So don't you dare tell me to calm down." Bevin stated.

"Skills, you better shut your girlfriend up right now." Jimmy told him.

"Bevin." Skills warned.

"I'll calm down once you let them out of here." She said as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Bevin!" Skills whisper-yelled.

"Broody," Brooke said. "I don't know how much more of this I can take. I can't feel my leg anymore and my head is feeling really light." She said as her head bobbed from one side to the other.

"Brooke, please stay with me." Lucas told her as he got down beside her and pulled her into his strong arms.

"I'm trying." She whispered.

"That's all I ask." He said as he kissed the top of her head with tears threatening to fall from his eyes. It amazed him how strong Brooke was being through the entire thing. It also amazed him how he and Brooke had gotten together less than half an hour ago considering the circumstances.

"Broody?" Brooke asked as she looked up at him.

"Yeah?"

"Incase I don't make it out I need you to do something." She started.

"Brooke, don't say that; you're going to make it out of here okay." Lucas told her.

"Luke, please, just in case. I need you to go into my room and under my bed in a box are 82 letters. 82 letters that I wrote to you over the summer, one a day, I never sent them to you because I was scared; scared of getting my heart broken and scared of the way you make me feel. That's how I spent my summer Luke, wanting you. I just wanted you to know that so if I don't make it you'll have something to remember me by." She finished with tears rolling down her porcelain skin.

"Brooke, you're going to be okay, I promise." Lucas told her with tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

Brooke pulled him in and gave him a kiss full of passion.

"Just in case you can't keep your promise." She whispered as her eyes closed.

"You know what sucks?" Jimmy asked after awhile.

"What?" Nathan asked.

"The fact that a person can be invisible. Like I cannot be in school for a week and no one would notice, no one would be like 'oh, Jimmy's sick maybe I should get his homework and bring it over to him.' But yet if it were one of you guys, everyone would notice. I always wanted to be part of the elite, the in crowd, but I guess I never will be. Do you know how it feels not to be noticed? To be walked all over? To be pushed aside like you don't matter? No, you don't and you never will. The world is a big place and all of you won't rule the world like you rule high school. Nathan and Lucas, the jocks of Tree Hill High, the perfect boyfriends who scored the perfect girlfriends who have the perfect lives. Haley James Scott, the girl who went from geek to chic in less than a year, married Nathan Scott and lived happily ever after. Bevin Mirskey dumb as dirt but yet is part of the elite. Skills, you're dating Bevin, abandoned the River Court to join Luke on the Ravens, you think that you're better than everyone else just like Lucas. Oh, and Mouth, the guy I was best friends with less than a year ago and look at how things change. We were supposed to go to MIT together, become sportscasters together, we were supposed to live the dream Mouth, but just like everyone else you abandoned me. And whom does that leave? Oh, Miss Brooke Davis captain of the cheerleading squad, student body president, little miss rich girl, creator of DW Not I, oh and don't forget, girlfriend of the legendary Lucas Scott. You're definitely the girl who has it all, Brooke. None of you will _ever_ be able to tell how it feels to be pushed around and treated as if you don't exist and that's probably why none of you will ever understand why I came in here on a tirade with a gun. But I had to; I had to make people finally notice me. And I guess they finally did. So I did what I had to do and I'm sorry for it but I don't regret what I did. I guess all I have to say is goodbye and thanks for a wasted life." Jimmy said with tears streaming down his face as he pointed the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

"No!" Nathan, Skills, Mouth and Lucas screamed as they darted towards Jimmy, but it was too late. The trigger had gone off and Jimmy was dead.

"Luke, go." Bevin told him.

Lucas bent down and scooped up his girlfriend's lifeless body and walked as fast as he could out of the library. Once he got to the door, he turned around and took one last look at Jimmy Edwards' body. He had grown into a person Lucas didn't even recognize and he couldn't help but feel guilty for his transformation. "I'm sorry." He whispered, and with that he busted out of the library doors.

After Peyton and Jake had been whisked away by bus to the old gym, they discovered they needed a parent to come and get them. Unfortunately for the both of them none of their parents were in town, so Peyton called Karen asking her to come and get them to which she gratefully agreed.

"Thank you so much Karen." Peyton said to her as she gave her a hug with tears streaming down her face.

"Peyton, what's going on?" Karen asked. Sure, she knew there was a person in the school with a gun but she didn't know if Peyton knew more.

"Jimmy Edwards has a gun. Everyone fled out of the school and that's when I saw Luke, he was getting off the bus from practice and I told him that I thought Brooke was right behind me but she wasn't and that was all it took for him to sprint into the school to get her. I know that you may be pissed because your son ran into a building with a gun but he did it because he knows that Brooke needs him and hates to be alone and because he still –" Peyton started but was cut off by Karen.

"He still loves her. I know, he never stopped loving her and as much as I want to be mad at him for running away from safety I can't. He did the right thing, the thing he needed to do." Karen told them.

"Can we get out of here?" Jake asked.

"Of course, we can go back to where I was standing before you guys called me." Karen said as she walked out of the gym with Peyton and Jake.

Peyton, Jake and Karen made their way to the front of the school where they met Keith. Peyton couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face, Jake tried to stay strong for Peyton's sake but he still found his eyes watering. Those tears finally fell when he saw Lucas walking out of the school with Brooke's lifeless body in his arms.

"Oh my god." Karen whispered.

"This can't be happening." Peyton exclaimed as she buried her head in Jake's chest.

"The gunman's dead, he shot himself." Lucas told the SWAT team that had gathered around him.

The paramedics took Brooke from Lucas and rushed her over to the ambulance to start working on her and the SWAT team, for precaution, searched Lucas. As soon as Lucas was cleared, he sprinted over to the ambulance to see Brooke.

"Excuse me sir, what do you think you're doing?" The paramedic asked.

"I need to be with her, she's my girlfriend." Lucas told him.

"Get in, don't touch anything and don't say a word. Got it?" The paramedic asked harshly.

Lucas nodded as he grabbed Brooke's limp hand. Tears began to fall from his crystal blue orbs; he just got her back he couldn't lose her now.

The ride to the hospital was nerve wracking, Brooke's heart had stopped once, her blood pressure had dropped drastically and she had lost more blood in the seven minute ambulance ride than the amount she lost the entire time she was in the library.

When Lucas arrived to the hospital, he was shocked to see Nathan, Haley, Skills, Mouth, Bevin, Jake, Peyton, Keith and his mom.

"What are you guys doing here?" Lucas asked them.

"What happened to her Luke?" Peyton sobbed.

"She was shot twice, the first one was when the first gunshot when off. She thinks that one is just glass though. The second is the bullet she took for me," Lucas cried. "She didn't have to do that."

"Luke, she's going to be okay." Haley told him as she pulled him into her arms.

"I couldn't save her when she needed it most." Lucas said.

"Luke, you did save her, she's here in the hospital getting help. She's still breathing. If it wasn't for your selflessness she might be dead right now; the fact that you went into the school knowing that the gunman could shoot you, you still did it. You saved her Luke, so don't think for a second that you fell short." Haley told him.

Lucas nodded.

"She just needs to make it out of this, I need my Pretty Girl." He sobbed.

"Are you and Brooke back together Luke?" Keith asked his nephew, knowing that was his special nickname for Brooke.

"Yeah," Lucas replied meekly. "Even though she was in a bad situation, if it wasn't for that we probably wouldn't be together right now. Our emotions got the best of us in that library and we completely spilled our hearts to each other. It was one of the best moments in my life, minus the school-shooting scenario." He finished.

Everyone around him just smiled, everyone knew that Brooke and Lucas belonged together. They just made sense together and they always would.

"That's great Luke." Karen told her son.

"She just needs to be okay." Lucas said.

"And she will be, you just have to believe that." Nathan said to his brother.

"Hales?" Lucas asked after a couple minutes of silence.

"Hmm?"

"Did you know about a box of letters that Brooke kept?" He asked his best friend.

Haley nodded. "I just don't know what she wrote in them." She said.

"She told me they were all addressed to me. She wrote one a day over the summer she just never sent them to me because she was scared." Lucas admitted.

"She didn't think she was going to live did she?" Jake asked.

"Why would you say that?" Keith asked.

"I know that it seems like Brooke and I wouldn't know each other that well, but Brooke to me is easy to read. She was scared to send those letters to you because she didn't know if you felt the same way and she was scared of the way you made her feel so she figured that if she died it wouldn't make that much of a difference because she'd be dead and there'd be nothing anyone could do about it." Jake told the group.

Before anyone could say anything, Brooke's doctor came out of the operating room searching for Lucas, and within seconds of spotting the doctor, Lucas was by the his side.

"She's okay right?" Lucas asked.

"She made it out okay physically but she's going to need a lot of mental help. Victims of acts of violence normally will never forget anything that happened." The doctor replied.

"But she blacked out few times." Lucas told him.

"She was still conscious and could hear everything, she'll remember even the parts where she blacked out." The doctor said.

"Can I go see her?" Lucas asked.

"Of course, follow me." The doctor said as he led Lucas down the hallway to Brooke's room.

"Pretty Girl?" Lucas asked as he knocked on her door.

"Broody?" Brooke whispered.

That was all it took and within seconds Lucas was by her side.

"I was so scared I was going to lose you." Lucas told her as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"Me too," She whispered. "But I'm going to be okay. We're going to be okay."

"I love you Brooke." Lucas said as he looked into her hazel eyes and stroked her chocolate locks.

"I love you too Broody, more than you'll ever know." She replied.

Lucas gently climbed into the hospital bed and snuggled up next to his Pretty Girl. Brooke laid her head on his chest and just smiled, _this is the way it's supposed to be._ She thought.

The entire group had followed Lucas down to Brooke's room once he had entered and they all looked in on the happy couple from the window that was in the door and not one of them had a dry eye, they were all truly happy for Brooke and Lucas and as the group turned away from the door and headed to their own houses, a single thought ran through each of their heads; _they're going to be okay._ And for the first time in a long time, they all believed that Brooke and Lucas _would_ be okay.

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**Alright, I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update I thought I would have had more chances to do so but I've been crazy busy! Let me know what you think about this chapter, and if anyone has any suggestions to where I should take it from here let me know because I honestly don't know **_**where**_** to take it, so let me know what you'd like to see!! Thanks for reading & please leave a review, they make me happy!! **

**P.S.- For those of you reading my other fic, ****I Want You To Need Me, ****the next chapter should be up soon!! **

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy!! **


	3. Two Steps Forward, Five Steps Back

Chapter Three: Two Steps Forward, Five Steps Back

After a few minutes of persuading by Brooke, Lucas was allowed to spend the night with his Pretty Girl. Many times throughout the night Brooke would wake up in a cold sweat and each time she did, Lucas was right there to comfort her. The healing process was going to be a long road Lucas thought to himself.

The next morning, Lucas woke up before Brooke so he carefully made his way off the bed trying not to wake her. As he made his way down the hospital corridor, he ran into someone he had least expected.

"Mrs. Edwards?" Lucas asked as he looked at the broken woman before him.

"Luke, I am so sorry." She sobbed.

"Brooke's okay, Mrs. Edwards. She has a few bumps and bruises and two gunshot wounds but she's going to be okay. I'm so sorry about Jimmy." Lucas said, trying to mean every word. Of course he still cared about Jimmy and felt bad for his mom because she no longer had a son, but he wasn't going to forget the fact that he almost killed him, and Brooke ended up taking the bullet for him.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Edwards asked.

"He..he…shot himself." Lucas said to her shaking his head. _Could she really not know that?_ He thought to himself.

"He's in surgery right now, as soon as you left the building the SWAT team went in and he still had a pulse, a weak one but a pulse nonetheless." Mrs. Edward told Lucas.

This was way too much for Lucas to process at the moment, which was probably why when Mrs. Edwards said that Jimmy was still alive, he took off running down the hallway and outside the hospital.

"This can't be happening." Lucas said to himself as he tried to come to grips with what he was just told. "He shot himself, he should be dead." Lucas could not wrap his head around the idea that Jimmy Edwards was still alive.

Within a couple of minutes, Lucas regained his composure and headed back into the hospital room Brooke was currently occupying and to his surprise she was awake.

"Hi Broody." She whispered, her voice was still a little hoarse from everything.

"Good morning Cheery." Lucas said as he bent down and kissed her forehead.

"What's wrong?" Brooke asked him after a couple of minutes.

"Why do you assume something's wrong?" Lucas asked as he turned around to face her. _She knows me too damn well_, Lucas thought to himself.

"Because you're being extra broody today." She simply stated.

"How am I being extra broody, I haven't even said anything—" Lucas started to say but realized mid-sentence what he was about to say would have proved Brooke was right.

"My point exactly." Brooke smiled. Lucas couldn't help but smile back at her; she had been through so much but still remained to be his Cheery.

"It's nothing really." Lucas replied trying to avoid the conversation.

"Luke," Brooke warned.

"Brooke, really it's nothing." Lucas told her as he climbed into the bed snuggling up close to her small frame.

"Luke, if we're going to make this work you need to tell me things, you need to let me all the way in or we're going to be right back where we started." Brooke said as she looked up into his baby blues.

"But what if what I have to tell you is something you don't want to hear?" He asked.

"I may not want to hear it but it'll be better coming from you than hearing it from someone else; I just want you to be honest with me Luke. That's all I ask."

"Jimmy Edwards is alive." Lucas whispered.

He wasn't sure if Brooke had heard him because she didn't change positions or yell or scream as he had expected her to do.

"How?" Brooke finally asked.

"I don't know." Lucas responded honestly. He was trying hard to read her but he couldn't.

"I'm scared." She said.

"It's going to be okay, I'm here for you no matter what." He said as he pulled her closer to him and rested his chin on top of her head.

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Peyton, Jake, Nathan, Haley, Bevin, Skills and Mouth all decided to have a sleepover at Peyton's house the night following the school shooting. Even though Peyton and Jake weren't physically in the school, they were still affected by it.

"Anyone awake?" Skills loudly whispered once he woke up.

He didn't get a response.

"Great, no one's awake to keep me company." He pouted. Skills had a problem, once he woke up in the morning he could never fall back asleep; no matter what time it was he was up for good as soon as his eyes fluttered open.

"Yo, Nate." Skills loudly whispered as he shook his foot.

"Skills, go back to sleep." Nathan grumbled.

"You know I can't fall back asleep, honestly I don't know how you people do it." Skills said shrugging his shoulders.

"Just try." Nathan said with his face pressed into the pillow.

"I can't." Skills retorted emphasizing the last word.

"Count sheep or something, doesn't that usually work?" Nathan really wasn't in the mood for arguing.

"Fine, I'll try it." Skills huffed. "One…two…three…four…"

"In your head." Nathan scoffed.

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"Broody, when do I get out of here?" Brooke whined.

"When the doctor says you can." Lucas said as he looked up from the magazine he was reading.

"Luke?"

"What's on your mind Pretty Girl?" He asked the brunette.

"How am I supposed to go back to that school? How am I supposed to walk down that hallway and pretend that nothing happened? How am I supposed to go to my study hall in the library practically forcing myself to relive what happened in there? How am I supposed to be that strong Luke?" Brooke asked on the verge of tears.

Lucas was by her side instantly, it pained him to see her like this. She was supposed to be the cheery one; but he completely understood why she couldn't be herself right now.

"Brooke, no one expects you to be that strong. Principal Turner already told everyone via the news that we have a week off to recuperate; and the most important thing I need you to know is that I'm going to be there every step of the way with you Brooke. I love you."

"I know you do, and I love you too but I feel like everyone _does_ expect me to be strong. I mean think about it, has anyone ever seen me cry in school, or let something get to me so badly that all it does is tear me up inside? No, they haven't; and it's because I know how to cover it all up and put on this fake smile to make everyone believe that everything is okay and that Brooke Davis has the perfect life but I don't Luke. I'm just scared that this time I'm not going to be able to put on a fake smile; people are going to see me as weak and that's what I'm scared of most." She told him honestly.

"Brooke, everyone has their weak moments it's what makes us all human. And it's okay for people to see you vulnerable; people are going to _expect_ to see you that way. I know that that may be hard for you but this is going to make you stronger, you're going to be okay and it's all right to let people see you at you rawest Brooke. You're only human." Lucas said as he brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her eyes.

"You always know the right things to say don't you?" Brooke laughed as she tried to wipe the tears away from her eyes.

"I guess you could say that." Lucas smiled.

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"Skills I am not eating that!" Peyton squealed as Skills tried to feed her the 'pancakes' he had made for breakfast.

"Why not?" Skills asked.

"Um probably because they are still raw in the middle." Peyton said pointing to the pancake sitting on the plate.

"That's not how they're supposed to look? Bevin makes them like this every Saturday and they taste just fine." Skills said.

At that comment everyone broke out into a fit of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Bevin asked Skills as she made her way into the kitchen.

"Shorty, I honestly don't know." Skills responded as he took a bite of the pancake.

"Oh! Pancakes!" Bevin squealed as she saturated the pancake in butter and syrup.

"So, who wants to make breakfast?" Haley asked.

"Hales, I just made a lovely breakfast for y'all." Skills said.

"Yeah, and the effort gets an A but it's just not…edible." She said trying not to laugh.

"I'm hurt Haley James Scott, I'm really hurt." Skills said.

"You'll get over it." Jake laughed.

"I'm not sure I will." Skills retorted as he took another big bite of his pancake, which he thought tasted amazing.

"So, when do you want to go visit Brooke and Lucas?" Peyton asked.

"Where are they?" Bevin asked.

"Bev, they're in the hospital remember?" Skills whispered.

"Oh, yeah I totally forgot. I think I have short term memory loss or something." She said.

"I say we eat breakfast, take showers then head out. Sound good?" Jake asked.

"Yep." Everyone agreed.

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"Knock, knock," Nathan said as he knocked on the door to Brooke's room.

"Come in." Lucas yelled.

"Boy Toy! You came to see me!" Brooke squealed.

"We all did, how are you holding up?" Haley asked.

"Okay I guess considering the circumstances." Brooke mumbled.

"What are you talking about?" Peyton asked her best friend.

Brooke just kind of zoned out leaving Lucas to fill the group in about Jimmy Edwards.

"Jim's still alive." Lucas told them.

"No, he shot himself in the head. He's dead." Haley said shaking her head.

"I know, that's what I said but by some miracle he's still alive." Lucas said.

"This is so unfair," Skills stated.

"Brooke, are you okay?" Jake asked, noticing she hadn't said much since the group entered.

Brooke looked at Lucas with tears in her eyes that were threatening to fall.

"Brooke, it's okay to be weak at a time like this; you're only human." Lucas said to her as he climbed into the hospital bed.

Brooke nodded.

"I'm not okay Jake. I don't know _how_ to be okay, I mean before it was easy if anything was bothering me I'd put on a fake smile and pretend everything was hunky-dory. I'm good at doing that but this, what happened to me, I'm not sure I can pretend that everything's okay." Brooke sobbed.

"Oh, honey we're all here for you okay?" Haley said as she bent down to give Brooke a hug. Seeing Brooke at her weakest was something that really broke Haley's heart.

"I know." Brooke mumbled.

"So Brooke, look what you're boy Skills brought you," Skills said as he moved closer to Brooke trying to make the mood a little happier.

"Chocolate chip cookies!" Brooke squealed when Skills brought them into view.

"Yeah, Bevin made them for you." He said as he placed them beside her bed.

"Here, let me try one just to make sure they're okay. We had a pancake problem this morning and I just want to make sure they're cooked all the way through because for some reason Bevin and Skills think that's the way pancakes are supposed to be," Jake rambled. "Yep, they're safe." He confirmed.

"Thank you so much guys," Brooke said.

"Anything for you, Davis." Nathan replied.

"So when do you get out of this shindig?" Skills asked.

"I don't know, whenever they say I can go I guess?" Brooke said shrugging her shoulders.

"Are you going to be able to walk?" Mouth asked.

"Mouth!" Haley scolded.

"Hales, it's okay. Yeah since the bullet grazed my right leg all they had to do was remove the shell so that leg is okay, but my left leg is in a cast," Brooke said as she lifted up the covers so they could see the pink cast that had been applied. "I'm going to get crutches but they want me to stay off my feet as much as possible since my right leg isn't as strong as it should be, but I can still walk."

A few hours later, after some much needed laughter, the group was about to head home. Everyone said they're goodbyes to Brooke and then to Lucas.

"Take care of her, Luke." Haley whispered in her best friend's ear.

"I will." Lucas promised.

"Bye guys! Thanks for coming to see me!" Brooke called out after them.

"Bye Brooke!" They all yelled back.

"That was fun." Brooke said as she took a bite of the gooey chocolate chip cookie.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Lucas said.

"Lucas?"

"What?"

"What would you say if I said I wanted to see Jimmy?" Brooke whispered.

At this, Lucas' head propped up and he stared at her dumbfounded. Could she really want to do that? He thought to himself.

"Luke?" Brooke asked after getting no response.

"Brooke, I'm not so sure that's a good idea." Lucas told her.

"I know that it's not a good idea but I thought that he was dead and I would have never gotten my answer as to why he singled me out and I know that he's probably going to go to jail in a couple days and I may never get my chance again. I'm terrified to go into his room and come face to face with him but it's something I have to do." She said, her voice cracking the entire time.

"I'll be right back." Lucas said.

"Great, I probably freaked him out and now he's going to go brood and I'm going to be left here all alone in this creepy hospital room." Brooke said aloud to no one.

Within a couple of minutes Lucas returned to Brooke's room with a wheelchair.

"Let's go Pretty Girl." Lucas said as he wheeled the wheelchair over to the right side of the bed. Lucas lifted Brooke's small frame and gently eased her into the chair and began pushing her down the hallway en route to Jimmy Edwards' room.

"You ready?" Lucas asked as he approached the door.

Brooke nodded.

Lucas knocked on the door and was met by Mrs. Edwards.

"Lucas, come in de—. Brooke." Mrs. Edwards gasped when she realized that Brooke was there too.

"Mrs. Edwards," Brooke said meekly.

"I'm so sorry." Mrs. Edwards said.

"Is Jimmy awake?" She asked.

Mrs. Edwards nodded.

"Can I see him?" Brooke asked.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea." Mrs. Edwards responded.

"I don't care, I need to see him." Brooke pleaded.

"Please," Lucas asked.

"I'll leave you three for a little while, I'll be back soon though." Mrs. Edwards said as she moved out of the doorway into the hall.

"Thank you." Brooke and Lucas said in unison.

"Jimmy?" Brooke asked once Lucas had pushed her into the room.

"Mom, please I don't want to…Brooke." Jimmy gasped.

"I'm not here for an apology from you because I know you won't mean it since in the library you said you didn't feel bad for what you did, I just want to know why. Why me? I know you didn't mean to shoot me the first time, but you didn't have to point the gun at Lucas and me the second time; and honestly I know you know that I would have done anything to protect Luke and I think that's why you shot the second bullet." Brooke professed.

"Brooke, do you want me to be completely honest with you?" Jimmy asked.

Brooke nodded.

"I meant to shoot you the first time."

Brooke yelped and in an instant Lucas was by her side.

"Why?" Brooke asked.

"I saw you walk into school everyday at the same time in the same location. I saw you and Peyton with you're perfect hair, perfect smiles, perfect friends, and perfect boyfriends. You were all too perfect and I wanted to be the person to bring that all down. Brooke, you're the prettiest person in our school and people look up to you but do you really think that you would still be pretty if you had a gunshot wound, would you still be perfect? In all honesty you wouldn't be. But there was only one thing that didn't happen right. You were supposed to die that day." Jimmy said with no emotion in his voice.

"All right, I think we've had enough." Lucas said as he got up to push Brooke out of the room.

"No, wait." Brooke pleaded.

"Brooke," Lucas warned.

"I need to do this Luke." Brooke said as she looked up at him.

"What do you mean I was supposed to die?" Brooke asked, shifting her attention to Jimmy.

"I mean that I had it all planned out that the bullet would have gone into your chest causing a quick death and I knew that it had to be a Tuesday because those are the days the basketball team practices at the crappy gym before school." He said.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Brooke asked.

"It had to be a Tuesday because Lucas wouldn't have been there to save you." Jimmy stated looking at Lucas.

"But he was there," Brooke said.

"I know and that was all you're fault. You arrived late to school that day."

"Oh my god." Brooke gasped. The reason she was 'late' was because Peyton had been taking extra long to get ready that morning. Brooke had been in Peyton's driveway for at least 10 minutes and Peyton was still in the house. If it hadn't been for Peyton running late, she would have arrived to school on time, and Lucas wouldn't have been there to save her. Peyton had saved her life.

"And you want to know why I fired the second shot?" Jimmy asked.

Brooke nodded.

"I knew that you would do anything for Luke, even if you weren't together you'd do anything to protect that boy. So I thought to myself; 'she didn't die the first time, maybe now's my chance.' So I fired the second shot. And then when you didn't die, I thought of myself as failure so I shot myself. I don't feel sorry for what I did Brooke, and I don't think I ever will. And for your answer, the main reason I targeted you was because of Lucas. He and I were like best friends before he joined the Ravens and then once he did it was like he didn't even know me. So I targeted you because I knew that taking you away from him would absolutely _kill_ him. No pun intended." Jimmy finished with a smirk on his face.

"Luke, can we go?" Brooke asked staring blankly at the wall.

Lucas swiftly pushed Brooke out of Jimmy's room but not before flicking him off. They returned to Brooke's room and he lifted her up and laid her down on the bed, after retuning the wheelchair to the front desk Lucas climbed into bed with Brooke and just let her cry allowing her tears to soak through his shirt.

"It's all going to be okay Pretty Girl." Lucas whispered in her ear trying desperately to believe his own words.

It was times like these where it felt like Brooke and Lucas would take two steps forward but then five steps back.

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**A/N: **All right, I am SOOOOOO sorry about the lack of updates! Let me know what you thought about this chapter!!

Thanks for reading & leave me some reviews please!!


	4. Rooftops and Science Rooms

**All right, school has officially ended so the updates will definitely be a lot more frequent. I am _so _sorry I haven't updated since April!! So I noticed a few time errors in the past 3 chapters so here's the deal on that:**

**-The school shooting was the season finale of season 3 in my fic.**

**-Making everything happening after 3.16 irrelevant to this but things from those episodes will be played out later…**

**-Haley is NOT pregnant**

**-This is their senior year**

**-So, pretty much this is what I think should have happened in season 4**

--

Chapter 4: Rooftops & Science Rooms

"You ready to go home Pretty Girl?" Lucas asked as he walked into Brooke's room.

"I cannot wait to eat normal food again." She replied.

"What do you say we stop and get you some 'normal' food on our way home?"

"Don't you have to go to school?" Brooke asked as she moved from the bed into the wheelchair.

"Principal Turner cancelled school, remember?" Lucas said as he finished packing all of Brooke's things up.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot." She laughed.

Lucas talked to Brooke the entire way home about mindless things, desperately hoping she wasn't thinking about that day but how could she not?

"Pretty Girl, what's on your mind?" He asked her as he pulled into his driveway.

"Nothing," She replied softly.

"Brooke,"

"Luke, please." She begged.

"I'm here for you. Just remember that." He said softly as he kissed her forehead.

She slowly nodded her head keeping her eyes on his side door.

"It's still red." She smiled.

"What?" Lucas asked as he cocked his head to one side.

"You're door. Even after everything that we went though, you never painted over it." She explained as they neared the house.

"I wasn't ready to lose you." He told her as he opened the door for her revealing all of her things.

"Luke, this is like déjà vu. I don't understand."

"I know, it seems like only yesterday when we were doing this but, my mom figured that since you're on crutches it wouldn't be the best thing in the world if you were staying at your house alone so you get to stay here with us." Lucas explained.

"I really don't want to intrude, you guys already have a full house with you, your mom and Keith and—"

"Brooke," Lucas laughed. "It's okay, we wouldn't want you anywhere else." He said to her as he pulled her in tight to his body.

"Can I lay down?" She asked after he'd been holding her up for awhile.

"Standing on one leg hard work?" He joked.

"Just because I'm on crutches does not give you license to mock me. If I recall correctly, I saved your life." She said softly.

"Too soon for jokes?" Lucas asked, instantly feeling guilty for what he had meant to be a joke.

Brooke nodded with tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, babe." He said to her as he picked her up and laid her down in his bed.

"I don't mean to be so emotional but I am and I can't help it. I don't understand why." She sobbed.

"It's okay, everything is going to be okay." He whispered as he laid down right next to her and pulled her close.

Brooke continued to cry into Lucas' chest for a good ten minutes before calming down. He had no idea how hard this was going to be, so being the good boyfriend he was Lucas just rubbed Brooke's back and whispered sweet nothings in her ear trying to make her feel better. Lucas smiled when he looked down to see Brooke peacefully sleeping on his chest, granted his once dry gray T-shirt was now soaked with salty tears, he wouldn't have it any other way.

--

Two weeks later, everything was still the same. Physically things were getting better for Brooke because her wounds were beginning to heal but her emotional wounds were still as raw as they were the day everything happened. Today was the first day everyone was allowed to return to school. The group had decided to meet up at Lucas' house because they wanted to reenter that school with a sense of protection and even if it wasn't much, they all felt safe within the parameters of each other.

"Hey Luke," Nathan greeted his brother as he and Haley walked up the front steps.

"Hey man,"

"How's Brooke doing?" Haley asked.

"The same as she was 8 hours ago when you all were here." Lucas laughed.

"Morning!" Peyton called as she and Jake joined the group.

"What's got you so excited this morning?" Nathan asked the curly blonde.

"Oh nothing," She remarked.

"You and Jake so did it this morning!" Nathan screamed.

"Did not!" Peyton exclaimed as her face turned a deep shade of red.

"Did too!" Nathan said, he was not about to give up when he knew he was right.

Peyton didn't say anything back; instead she just stared at the pattern of the deck flooring.

"I think it's time I go and get Brooke." Lucas said, thinking of anything to excuse himself from the conversation.

"So, are you guys ready to go back there?" Jake asked after Lucas had retreated back into the house.

"I don't think any of us are ready but when I think about that I can't help but think about Brooke. I mean, she was the only person that was shot at. Everyone else was just running scared, something traumatizing happened to Brooke that day and she will never go a day without thinking about it. Every morning when she wakes up she has to see the scars on both of her legs where the bullets were extracted, so the amount of fear I'm experiencing to go back in that school is nothing compared to the fear and anxiety Brooke is experiencing right now." Nathan explained as he sat down on the porch swing.

"We're all going to have to be there for her. We're going to have to pay attention not only to her verbal communication but also her non-verbal." Haley pointed out.

"She needs us now more than ever." Peyton agreed.

"Ms. Davis is lookin' fine this mornin'!" Skills exclaimed as he climbed up the front porch steps with Bevin, Mouth and Rachel.

Everyone turned to see Brooke, with the help of Lucas, exiting the house using her crutches.

"Thanks Skills." Brooke replied shyly.

"You guys ready?" Lucas asked.

"We have to be." Jake answered for the group.

"Are you ready?" Lucas asked his girlfriend.

"I have to be." She replied giving everyone a brave smile of which no one believed for a second.

The ten friends piled into Bevin's car, one on top of the other. Since Brooke had her broken leg, she got to sit in the front seat by herself while Lucas offered to drive. There were only five more actual seats left in the car with eight passengers to fit in them. Nathan sat in the very back with Haley on his lap, Jake sat next to him with Peyton sitting beside him. Then in the two captain's seats sat Mouth with Rachel on his lap and Skills with Bevin on his. They laughed and talked the entire way to school all trying to keep Brooke's mind off what they were about to encounter.

"Welcome back." Lucas announced as he pulled into a not so empty parking lot.

"Now or never." Brooke said as she looked out the passenger window.

"We don't have to do this, I can take you home if you want." Lucas told his softy as he placed his hand on her thigh.

"I need to do this, Luke. As much as I don't want to, I need to because if I can't do this then I'm just going to make up excuses for the rest of my life as to why I can't do certain things.

Lucas nodded.

Everyone piled out of the car while Lucas helped Brooke with her crutches. The ten friends all linked arms as they walked through the parking lot and toward the courtyard.

"I can't do this." Brooke whispered as she suddenly stopped short causing the entire group to come to a halt.

"Brooke, are you okay?" Nathan asked as he unhooked his arm around Haley and rushed over to her.

"I can't do this." She repeated this time with tears in her eyes and her breathing starting to get heavier.

"Brooke, calm down and take deep breaths." Nathan instructed her as he motioned to Haley to go get Lucas who had ran back to the car to get something.

"Luke! Brooke's hyperventilating!" Haley screamed across the parking lot.

In an instant, Lucas dropped what he had been rummaging through the car for and began to sprint to his girlfriend.

"Brooke, what's wrong?" He asked as he knelt down to her level.

"I…can't…go…in…there." She panted as her breathing continued to get heavier and her eyes looked everywhere but at Lucas.

"Brooke sweetie, you need to relax." Haley instructed as she rubbed Brooke's leg trying to get her to calm down.

"You're going to be okay," Lucas whispered in her ear.

Once Brooke registered that Lucas was there with her she began to calm down, her breathing returned to a normal pace and she became aware of her surroundings again.

"I'm sorry," She whispered as she tried to wipe the tears out of her eyes.

"It's going to be okay, Brooke." Haley said as she gave Brooke a hug.

"I have to do this." Brooke announced as she got up from the picnic table where she had been sitting.

"Brooke-" Lucas tried.

"Lucas, I know how much you want to bring me back home but I need to do this, I need to prove to everyone that I'm strong enough to overcome this, because I am." She said warily.

"Everyone knows you're strong." Mouth piped in.

"Yeah, you don't have to prove anything to any of us, we know what you're capable of." Jake told her.

"It's not you guys I have to prove myself to, it's to all the people who ever thought of me of anything less than I am." She explained.

"You're absolutely positive you want to do this?" Lucas asked.

"Luke, I have 5 classes today and all 5 are with at least one of you. I have English first period and that's with Tutor Girl, P.Sawyer and Mouth. Then I go to art with Rachel. From there, I go to chemistry with Jake, you and Nathan. Fourth period I have trigonometry with Bevin and Skills and then to finish the day off I have history with you and Nathan. Everything's going to be okay so just relax." She giggled.

"Let's do this then." Skills exclaimed.

The ten friends again linked arms, Brooke did as best she could considering she had two crutches, and walked towards the front door of the school. Upon entering, the nine continued to move ahead while Brooke stopped short again. Peyton noticed her best friend staring at the glass doors that had been removed, the glass doors that had shattered when the bullet ricocheted through them causing the bullet to go into Brooke's leg.

"Come on," Peyton whispered as she helped her friend move past that part of the school.

The school they were in now was so much different. Even though it was the same physically, a lot of precautions were being taken to protect the school from another attack. I.D. tags were to be worn by all staff and students at all times, which seemed ironic to Brooke because the threat that plunged their school into a panic wasn't somebody that wandered in off the streets into their school, it was one of them, it was someone they grew up with and that thought alone is what scared her the most.

"How's your day been?" Lucas asked as he slid into his seat next to Brooke.

"Well, considering the fact that you asked me before every class and after every class and while walking me to every class; I'd have to say my day was pretty good. How about yours?" Brooke asked as she took out her history notebook.

"I spent most of it worrying about you," Lucas boyishly smiled.

"You're too good for me you know that?" Brooke said as she leaned across the aisle and kissed him.

"Ms. Davis and Mr. Scott, please save that kind of stuff for after school," Mr. Fedge said upon entering the room causing the two to blush. "Now class, please pick up your things and follow me."

"Where are we going?" Nathan asked as he followed the teacher.

"To the library to do some research." The teacher announced.

Panic immediately filled Brooke's eyes.

"I can't go in there." She whispered.

"Why not?" Mr. Fedge asked the brunette.

"Be-because that's where—" Brooke tried to spit it out but she couldn't because she found herself crying uncontrollably.

"Ms. Davis, I'm sure you'll be perfectly fine going into the library, you've been there millions of times before and probably not for schoolwork." Mr. Fedge said as he eyed Lucas.

"No, you don't understand. That's where she was shot during the school shooting." Lucas announced as the entire class watched the scene before their eyes unfold.

"I'm so sorry Brooke," Mr. Fedge said kneeling down to Brooke's level. "I completely understand if you don't feel safe going in there, I can write you two a pass and you can have the period off." He told the broken girl with a tone of compassion in his voice.

Lucas nodded at the teacher who scrambled over to his desk to write the couple a pass.

"Thank you," Brooke said once the teacher and class left for the library.

"Anytime," Lucas responded as he kissed the top of her head. "Now where should we go? We have a whole 66 minutes to kill."

"How about for the first 33 minutes you take me somewhere in this building that means something to you and then for the last 33 minutes, I'll take you somewhere special." Brooke suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Lucas smiled. "Now put your crutches down." He instructed.

"What? No!" Brooke laughed.

"Just trust me."

"Fine." Brooke gave up.

Lucas swiftly went over to her and picked her up causing her to explode into a fit of giggles.

"I swear, if you drop me I'll never forgive you!" She exclaimed.

"Don't worry." He told her.

"Where are we going?" She asked as they walked towards a part of the school Brooke had never seen.

"Patience is a virtue." Lucas said to her causing Brooke to smack his arm.

"Luke, seriously where are we going?" Brooke asked him as he began climbing a staircase Brooke didn't even know existed until now.

"Welcome to the roof." Lucas exclaimed as he walked towards the center to where a big duct was acting like a bench.

"What's so special about our school's roof?" Brooke asked curiously, she had no idea this place was considered special by Lucas.

"Because this is where I wrote this," He said as he handed her a thick manuscript entitled _An Unkindness of Ravens_.

"Lucas, this is like a book." Brooke stated.

"I know," He laughed.

"You wrote this?"

Lucas nodded.

"The whole thing?"

"No, only half I had little elves write the other half."

"Not funny." Brooke laughed. "Luke, this is amazing. I can't believe you did this."

"You're the only person that knows about it." He said quietly.

Brooke began thumbing through the pages, it was extremely long and weighed a good ten pounds she estimated.

"Why me?" She asked after awhile.

"What?"

"Why am I the only person who knows that you wrote something this amazing?"

"You haven't even read it so how do you know it's amazing?" He asked her.

"Because you wrote it and you're amazing so I'm just taking a wild guess that what you wrote on these pages is just as incredible as you." She said.

"I told you because you saved me, you're the one person in the world who means everything to me and because I love you." He said whispering the last three words.

"Luke, I don't know what to say." She smiled as she looked up at him.

"You don't have to say anything." Lucas said as he leaned in to kiss Brooke on the lips. The kiss quickly became heated and it took all the self control Lucas Scott had inside him not to rip off all his and Brooke's clothes right then and there. The couple separated when oxygen became an issue then went right back to what they were doing until Brooke lost her balance. Brooke fell pulling Lucas down with her.

"Brooke are you okay?" He asked once he realized he was laying on her leg.

Brooke couldn't stop laughing at what had just happened. "I'm fine." She managed to get out.

"Well, just to be safe; let me help you up." Lucas said as he bent down to pick his girlfriend up.

"Thanks Broody," She said as she regained her composure. "Now how am I supposed to top you're secret place?"

"I don't think you can." Lucas teased.

"Lift me please." Brooke ordered.

Lucas carried Brooke down the four flights of stairs that led to the roof and into the hallway of the second floor.

"Now take a right, then a left then another right and then go straight until you get to the end of that hall." She instructed as Lucas continued to carry her throughout the school.

"The science room?" Lucas asked as he stopped in front of an empty classroom.

"Yeah, why do you sound so shocked?" Brooke asked as she got down from Lucas' arms.

"I kind of thought you would go to like the girls locker room or some place less school-like; I wasn't expecting the science room." He told her honestly.

"Well, you know me. Full of surprises." She said as she opened the door and stepped inside.

"So, you going to tell me why we're here?" Lucas asked as he walked by a pile of biology books and ran his finger over the binding of every one.

"Why do you think we're here?" Brooke said as she sat down in the teacher's chair resting her leg.

"I really have no idea, Brooke." Lucas said.

"This is where I realized I was in love with you." She said softly looking him in the eyes.

"The science room?" Lucas clarified.

"Yes, the science room." Brooke laughed.

"How come?" Lucas asked as he inched his way closer to Brooke taking a seat on top of the lab table that was right next to the teacher's desk.

"Well, we were taking notes about stars and supernovas and all that kind of stuff-"

"Astronomy," Lucas told her.

"Yeah, that." She nodded. "Anyways, I was flipping through my science book and I came across a picture of us that I just kind of stuffed in there a while back. You're probably like, 'so she came across a picture and she realized she was in love' but that's not it. When I found that picture we were in a rough patch, I had just found out about you and Peyton and I was really hurt. But when I was in this classroom and I flipped to that page where the picture was, I felt like it was fate. Fate was what made me open to that page to see that picture of us, a picture where we are so in love and it made me realized that I was head over heels in love with you Lucas Scott and I still am." She explained.

"Wow," Lucas said as he rubbed his hand through his short blonde hair.

"Good wow or bad wow?" Brooke asked.

"Good, definitely good," Lucas smiled. "So do you still have that picture?"

"Follow me," She said as she hobbled out of the classroom.

Lucas followed her down the hallway and into another until they reached her locker. She reached inside and pulled out a large box that was full of envelopes and a few pictures. She quickly searched for the picture and then stuffed the box and its contents back in her locker and locked it.

"Here you go." She said as she handed him the picture.

"What was in that box?" Lucas asked.

"Nothing." Brooke shrugged.

"Brooke, it was full of something; what was it?"

"I told you, it was nothing." She smiled.

"Brooke,--" Lucas started but was cut off by the last bell of the day signaling it was time to go home.

"Saved by the bell," Brooke giggled.

"This conversation isn't over yet," Lucas announced.

"Whatever you say Boyfriend." She laughed.

"I'm glad you think this is so funny." Lucas said as he wrapped his arm around her waist and picked her up.

"You two lovebirds ready to go home?" Nathan asked as he and the others caught up to them in the hallway.

"Right, I have to drive ten of us home." Lucas groaned.

"Stop complaining." Jake teased his best friend.

"So, how was everyone's first day back?" Haley asked as they all piled into the car and headed home.

"Great," Bevin and Skills announced.

"Boring." Peyton mumbled.

"Fun!" Haley said.

"Same old." Nathan and Mouth added.

"Nothing new." Jake said.

"Interesting." Rachel declared.

"Informational." Brooke smiled.

Lucas nodded and reached for Brooke's hand, which he brought to his lips and gently kissed.

"You going to be okay, Brooke?" Jake asked.

"Definitely." She smiled as she looked at Lucas.


	5. You Mean As A Friend, Right?

Chapter 5: You Mean As A Friend, Right?

Six weeks later everything was still going great for Brooke and Lucas but not so much for Peyton and Jake. Brooke had picked up on a few things; like they weren't as lovey-dovey as they usually were in school, Peyton was hanging out with her a lot more than she was with Jake but Peyton still hadn't said anything about it to Brooke.

"So, P.Sawyer want to tell me why you're here with me on a Saturday night when you should be out with you boyfriend?" Brooke asked as she dug into the pint of ice cream she had in her hand.

"I could ask you the same thing." Peyton smirked.

"I'm only here because you called and said that you were coming over, otherwise I would be out with Luke right now." She explained.

"You didn't have to stay in, you could have told me you had plans."

"Yeah, but what kind of friend is that?" Brooke asked as she offered the container of ice cream to Peyton.

"Don't flatter yourself," Peyton laughed.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on with you and Jake or do I have to pry it out of you?" Brooke asked getting more serious.

"It's nothing," Peyton shrugged.

"Peyt, I've known you for almost 12 years, I know when something's up and right now, something is definitely up." Brooke told her best friend.

"I just can't talk about it." She said quietly.

"Peyton, if you can't talk about it with me then who can you talk about it with?" Brooke asked as she scooted closer.

Peyton remained quiet as Brooke stared at her.

"Peyton,"

"Jake and I broke up." She mumbled softly.

Brooke gasped; she definitely was not expecting that. "You what?"

"We broke up." Peyton repeated.

"No, I got that. But why?" Brooke asked.

"Some stupid thing I said that Jake can't get over."

"When did this happen and how come I didn't know sooner?" Brooke questioned.

"It happened about a week ago and I didn't tell you because you and Lucas are so happy, I didn't want to ruin that for you."

"Why would that have ruined anything? You're my best friend Peyton and I've known you way longer than Luke; you know I would be there in a second if you needed me." Brooke said to her as she pulled her close. "So what'd you say that made Jake break up with you?"

"I can't tell you."

"Peyton, we're best friends. You can tell me anything and everything. Hell, that's an unwritten rule in the best friends handbook." She laughed.

"Brooke," Peyton said seriously.

"Was it really that bad?" Brooke asked getting serious when she saw the look on Peyton's face.

Peyton slowly nodded.

"What did you say?"

"I can't tell you!" She yelled.

"Peyton, come on you need to tell me so I can help you figure things out with Jake. You two are meant to be together." Brooke said.

"If I tell you, promise you won't get all angry and go psycho-Brooke Davis on me?" Peyton asked.

"Just tell me." Brooke pleaded getting scared.

"We had just had a really romantic date out on the boardwalk in town." She smiled. "Jake walked me home and the kiss he gave me as he was leaving got heated pretty quickly because the next thing we knew we were on my bed about to have sex. As Jake was unbuttoning my shirt he told me he loved me and it was the first time he'd said that to me since we got back together and—" Peyton stopped.

"And what?" Brooke asked, she needed to know how things went from so great to so bad in only a matter of seconds for her best friend.

"I said 'I love you too, Lucas." Peyton whispered.

Brooke remained quite for a few minutes before speaking again.

"So you slipped up and said Lucas instead of Jake, no big deal right?" She laughed nervously.

"Jake said that that was proof that I am still in love with Lucas because apparently I talk in my sleep and I say the same thing. I constantly say 'I love you Lucas'." Peyton said, her voice shaking.

"But, you're asleep and you don't know what you're saying. It doesn't prove anything. And you just slipped up and said the wrong name when you were with Jake, you meant to say Jake not Lucas." Brooke told her best friend knowing what she was saying wasn't the truth.

"Brooke, I think I still have feelings for Lucas." Peyton said with tears flooding her eyes.

"You mean you care for him as a friend?" Brooke's voice cracked.

"No. I mean more than that." She said, as she looked Brooke in the eye.

"Get out." Brooke said through clenched teeth.

"You promised you wouldn't get mad." Peyton protested.

"Get out of this house." Brooke repeated.

Peyton slowly got up and looked at Brooke with pleading eyes but Brooke just stared at the floor.

_Did she really just tell me that? _Brooke thought after Peyton left. _She knows how great things are going with Lucas and she knows I get scared when something threatens my relationships. She's the one that ruined it the first time. I need to leave Lucas before he leaves me. _

"Luke, I need you to come home." She said into the phone once Lucas picked up.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked, his voice full of concern.

"I just need to talk to you." She said.

"I'm on my way."

Brooke paced back and forth in Lucas' room waiting for him to get there. She knew that this was the last thing she wanted to do but she also knew that if Peyton told Lucas how she felt he just might leave her for Peyton because he'd done it in the past.

"Brooke, what's wrong?" Lucas asked as he rushed through the door.

"I can't do this anymore." She told him with tears in her eyes.

"Can't do what?" He asked.

"Us." Brooke whispered.

"Brooke, what's going on? Everything's been going great I don't understand." Lucas told her, his voice shaking.

"I'm sorry." She said as she got up and ran out of his house.

"Brooke!" Lucas called after her but it was to no avail, she just kept running. And he wasn't going to run after her this time.

--

"Brooke, what's wrong?" Haley asked as she answered the door and saw Brooke's tearstained face.

"I broke up with Lucas."

"What?" Haley gasped. "What happened?" She asked as she ushered Brooke into the house.

"I wasn't about to get hurt again." Brooke answered.

"What's going on out here?" Nathan asked, as he emerged from the bedroom, shirtless.

"Brooke's here, she broke up with Lucas." Haley told her husband.

"What the hell happened? You guys were doing so great!" Nathan exclaimed as he put his shirt on and sat down next to Brooke.

"I can't tell you guys." Brooke said softly.

"Brooke, sweetie. You need to tell us so we can make this work for you, we want to help you." Haley told her friend.

"I know, but if I tell you you'll probably hate someone else." Brooke said. As much as she wanted to tell Nathan and Haley what had just happened at Lucas' house and Peyton's whole confession she was scared that if she did tell them Peyton wouldn't have anyone. And, even though she hated Peyton at the moment, she knew people always left Peyton.

"Brooke, you're starting to scare me." Nathan said as he scooted closer to her.

"Peyton said she still has feelings for Lucas." Brooke whispered as tears streamed down her face.

"She said what?!" Haley screamed.

"Hales, calm down." Nathan told his wife.

"She came over and said that she still has feelings for Lucas and I asked as a friend, right? And then she said no, more than that." Brooke explained.

"But I don't understand how that led you and Lucas to break up." Haley questioned.

"I had to let him go. I need to protect myself from getting hurt because it every damn time I open up to him, he breaks my heart. So I ended things with him, saving myself the heartache for when he figures Peyton out and ends things with me before running into her arms." Brooke sobbed.

"You know he would never do that Brooke." Nathan said.

"He did it once before, who's to say he won't do it again?" Brooke said harshly.

"Does he know the real reason you broke up with him?" Haley asked.

"No, and you can't tell him." Brooke panicked.

"Brooke, he needs to know." Nathan tried to rationalize.

"No. He doesn't because it's only a matter of time before Peyton finds out what I did and puts the moves on Luke who'll forget about me in no time because he's so mesmerized by Peyton."

"You know that's not true." Haley said.

"Haley, it is true!" She yelled. "We all know it! I hate being scared." Brooke admitted.

"What are you afraid of?" Nathan asked.

"How can I not be scared and think that he'll run into Peyton's arms with whatever chance he can get? He did it to me before!" She shouted.

"That's not really what you're afraid of Brooke." Haley whispered. "What is it?"

Brooke remained silent.

"You can't keep all your emotions bottled up inside of you. You need to let people know how you're feeling." Nathan told her.

"Fine, you want to know what I'm really afraid of?" She asked. "I'm scared to death of the way he makes me feel. I'm vulnerable around him and he's the one guy I've ever opened up to. I'm terrified of being alone and that's what's going to happen when Peyton tells him she's in love with him. I'm scared that I'm not going to be enough for Lucas and I'm scared that one day he's going to realized I'm not the one for him." She cried.

Nathan and Haley exchanged glances before they both pulled Brooke close and hugged her tight. They hated seeing Brooke like this. Lately it seemed like the world was against her, constantly driving her to tears. But, there was a ray of sunshine that broke through everything and that ray of sunshine had a name. His name was Lucas Scott.

"Why don't you go lay down in our bed, you've had a rough night." Haley said to her broken friend.

"Where are you guys going to sleep?" Brooke mumbled.

"Don't worry about that. You need to rest, Brooke." Nathan told her as helped her get up.

"Thank you, for everything." Brooke whispered as she walked down the hall to the bedroom.

"What are we going to do, Nate?" Haley asked once she heard the door shut.

"We can't fix this one, Hales." Nathan said as he rubbed his hand through his hair.

"We can't just sit here and do nothing and watch her suffer!" Haley cried.

"I never said we couldn't try to help." He smirked.

"Well?"

"Well, we can't tell Lucas anything; at least not yet. We both are going to need to talk to Peyton and Brooke's going to need a lot of help." Nathan told her.

"I can't believe Peyton would say something like that to Brooke. She knows how hard it is for Brooke to open herself up to someone, to be vulnerable and she did it anyways. Brooke has always had trust issues and self-doubt but now…" Haley shook her head.

"What was going through Peyton's mind when she said that to Brooke?" Nathan asked.

"Obviously nothing." Haley laughed bitterly.

"Well, whatever we do we can't let Brooke know," Nathan said.

Haley nodded.

"So, where are we planning to sleep?" She asked as she looked around their apartment.

"The floor?" Nathan shrugged.

"Sounds good." Haley yawned.

"I have to go do something, I'll be back soon." Nathan said as he headed toward the door.

"Want me to come with you?" Haley offered.

"No, you just stay here with Brooke incase she wakes up and needs someone."

"I love you Nathan Scott." Haley smiled.

"I love you too Haley James-Scott." He said as he slipped out the front door.

--

"What the hell did you do?!" Lucas screamed as he barged into Peyton's room scaring her.

"What are you talking about?" Peyton asked.

"What did you do to Brooke that made her break up with me?" He yelled.

"Luke, calm down." Peyton pleaded. "So she broke up with you?" Her voice softening.

"Don't get any ideas." Lucas said harshly. "I'm going to ask one more time, what did you do to her?"

"What makes you think I did something?" Peyton asked.

"Because before you came over, things were going great. She was all bubbly and you could tell she was so in love but after you left she called me. I came rushing home and she broke up with me without even telling me why. And then she ran; I know her better than anyone so with all those things combined, it led me to your doorstep." He told the blonde.

"You know, I think it's sexy when you're mad." Peyton said seductively as she sat down on her bed.

"Peyton," Lucas growled.

"Just come here," She said as she patted the spot next to where she was sitting. "Fine, I'll come to you." She said once she noticed Lucas wasn't going to budge.

Peyton walked up to him and began to rub her hands all over him, Lucas tried to get her off of him but it was to no avail. Peyton began to trail kisses all over his face as she pushed him on to her bed. Lucas found himself not fighting Peyton; instead he was giving into her. He unbuttoned her shirt and unhooked her bra and tossed them onto the floor as she unzipped his pants. Things quickly escalated between the two blondes as they continued to explore each other's body

"Ah," Peyton moaned.

"You like that?" Lucas asked as he thrusted his body against hers.

"Lucas, I've waited so long for this." Peyton panted as she dug her fingers into Lucas' back.

Lucas simply groaned in pure delight as he rolled Peyton on top of him.

"Peyton, we re—…oh my god!" Nathan screamed as he walked in on the two panting and moaning.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Peyton screamed as she held up a blanket covering her and Lucas as he pulled out.

"I came by to talk to you. Lucas, why the hell would you do this?" Nathan screamed at his brother.

"I can explain—" Lucas yelled.

"Save it." Nathan said harshly as he turned and walked out of Peyton's room leaving two very naked and shocked blondes.

--

"Haley, you're never going to believe what I just walked in on." Nathan exclaimed once he returned home, slamming the front door.

"Shhh! Brooke's sleeping!" Haley softly scolded. "Where'd you even go?"

"I went to Peyton's to try to talk to her but I didn't end up talking to her because I walked in on her and Lucas having sex."

"Lucas had sex with Peyton?" A shaky voice asked from the hallway.

--

**A/N: I know many of you will be extremely upset with what happened this chapter and I don't blame you. I just feel like the storyline that originally went with this plot in the show didn't do justice for Brooke's character she just kind of broke up with Lucas and that was that; Lucas never even found out she broke up with him because of what Peyton had told her. Things have officially hit rock bottom now so it is only a matter of time before things start getting better!!**


	6. She Never Told Anyone

Chapter 6: She Never Told Anyone

"_Lucas had sex with Peyton?" A shaky voice asked from the hallway. _

Haley and Nathan stared at each other, they're eyes full of panic and fear, before they turned their attention to the brunette standing in the hall.

"My Lucas had sex with Peyton?" Brooke repeated.

"Brooke, sweetie." Haley said softly as she rushed over to Brooke who looked like she was about to collapse.

"I told you." Brooke cried into Nathan's shoulder as he and Haley hugged her tight.

"Brooke, you couldn't have prevented this." Nathan assured her.

Brooke continued to cry until she fell asleep against Nathan's chest. Nathan really wanted to get up and sleep on the floor with his wife but he knew Brooke needed him.

"I'm sorry." Nathan mouthed to Haley who was sitting on the other end of the couch.

"She needs you." Haley whispered back.

"You really are the best wife a guy could ask for." Nathan smiled.

"What are we going to do now?" Haley asked.

"Be there for Brooke." Nathan responded.

--

"I can't believe he caught us!" Lucas screamed after Nathan had left.

"Well, at least he knows about us now." Peyton shrugged.

"What do you mean 'us?'" Lucas asked as he began buttoning his shirt.

"I mean now he knows that we're a couple."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Lucas yelled. "You think just because we had sex means we're a couple now? You screwed everything up between Brooke and me! Now that Nathan knows I'm sure Haley knows and it's only a matter of time before Brooke finds out! You screwed up my life Peyton. I hate you." He told her harshly.

"But I love you!" She cried.

"You w-what?" Lucas asked, dumbfounded.

"I love you." She whispered as she moved toward him.

"That's what you told Brooke." Lucas said, piecing it all together.

"What?" Peyton asked as she leaned into him.

"You told Brooke you loved me, she got scared and broke up with me before I could break her heart again. You knew she'd break up with me…you had this whole thing planned, you heartless bitch!" Lucas screamed as he pushed Peyton off of him.

"Lucas—"

"No! You know how vulnerable Brooke is. You know she's had trust issues her entire life! You know that I'm the only guy she's _ever_ opened up to; you knew all this yet you deliberately used it against her to try and steal me away from her. She's your best friend, Peyton, and this is how you treat her?" Lucas yelled.

"You really think you two belong together? You're as different as night and day but you and I are one the same. We're soul mates Lucas. She's just another slutty cheerleader who has sex with a different guy every week. Brooke is just some fling, you knew she'd dump you sooner or later for another guy it's what she always does." Peyton explained.

"It's what she always _did_ but I changed that. You and I will never be together Peyton, especially after the stunt you just pulled." Lucas said harshly.

"I don't understand why it's Brooke." Peyton said softly.

"Brooke brings out the best in me. She makes me laugh; she helps me see the positive side rather than the negative. She has this effect on me that no matter how shitty my day has been knowing she's there at the end of the day makes everything seem worthwhile. She's the person I'm supposed to be with for the rest of my life and I just screwed that up." He admitted.

"Why does it have to be Brooke?" Peyton asked.

"Because Brooke would have never done this to you." Lucas said harshly as he walked out of Peyton's room.

--

The next morning Lucas was scheduled to work at the café with Haley. To say he wasn't looking forward to his shift would have been the understatement of the year.

"Luke, do you know where Haley is? She's 20 minutes late and she's usually never late." Karen said as she emerged from the kitchen with a plate of muffins.

"No." Lucas mumbled.

"What's going on with you?" Karen asked her son.

"Nothing."

"Where was Brooke last night? I didn't see her in your bed when I went to bed."

"She spent the night at Nathan and Haley's." Lucas responded with hurt in his voice.

"Want to tell me what's going on?" She asked as she leaned against the counter facing her son.

"Not really," Lucas shrugged.

"Well, you know this is a small town and word eventually gets out so you might as well tell me now." Karen said as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Brooke and I broke up."

Karen's jaw dropped. "You guys were doing so well!"

"I know. Peyton told her she still had feelings for me, Brooke got scared and instead of me breaking her heart, she left me before I left her."

"I'm so sorry." Karen said as she hugged her son.

"That's not the worst part." Lucas said softly.

Karen looked at her son urging him on.

"I slept with Peyton last night."

Karen's hand instantly collided with Lucas' cheek.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." Karen gasped as she pulled her son in close to her.

"It's okay. I deserved it." Lucas mumbled.

"Why the hell would you do that Lucas?!" Karen yelled at her son.

"I don't know!" Lucas replied defensively.

Just then, the last person Lucas wanted to see stumbled into the café just like she did every morning for her breakfast.

"Peyton," Karen said as she gave her a disgusted look.

"Egg sandwich on and English muffin with cheese and sausage?" Lucas asked the blonde whom he didn't make eye contact with.

Peyton nodded.

"Oh my god…yes…I'll be right there." Karen said as she hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Lucas asked as his mom returned.

"That was Haley. Brooke's in the hospital." She said as tears clouded her eyes. "It's bad Lucas, it's really bad." Karen told her son.

--

"I don't understand what happened." Haley cried into Nathan's chest once the doctors rushed Brooke into a room leaving the two of them alone in the hall.

**Flashback**

_"Brooke, breakfast is ready!" Nathan called as he tossed the over easy egg from the pan onto a plate and set it down on the table for the brunette._

"_Coming." She said softly. _

"_Hales! You're going to be late for work." Nathan reminded her. _

"_I know, I know." Haley said as she rushed into the kitchen to get a glass of orange juice. _

"_Haley," Brooke whispered as she turned into the kitchen, she looked extremely pale._

"_What's wrong?" Haley asked as she rushed over to Brooke. _

"_I need sugar, I'm hypoglycemic and –" That was all Brooke could say before she fainted. _

"_Nathan!" Haley screamed as she turned Brooke over so she was lying on her back. _

"_What happened?" Nathan asked once he saw Brooke convulsing uncontrollably on the floor._

"_I don't know, she said she's hypoglycemic and then she fainted." Haley panicked. _

"_Go get her something with sugar in it, her blood sugar levels are extremely low!" Nathan barked as he slid behind Brooke holding her head up. _

"_Here," Haley said as she shoved a cup of grape juice into Nathan's hand. _

"_Brooke, open your mouth," Nathan instructed. "Hales, I need you to help her open her mouth, she's completely out of it." _

"_Brooke, come on sweetie." Haley pleaded as she tried to help. _

"_Nate, it's not working! She's still having seizures!" Haley panicked. _

"_Call 911." He barked as he tried to help Brooke but it was no use; she needed medical attention…fast. _

**End of Flashback**

"I've known her my entire life and I didn't know she was hypoglycemic." Nathan said as he rested his head in his hands.

"No one did. Brooke's never been one to show her weaknesses and she obviously wasn't going to flaunt it to the world that she has a disease." Haley soothed her husband.

"But how come I've never seen her have a seizure before?"

"Brooke's the kind of person that knows what she has to do when she has to do it. So she probably can conceal this pretty well by eating what she's supposed to at the right times of day but with the whole debacle going on right now, she probably lost sense of time and didn't get an adequate amount of sugar for her blood." Haley tried to explain.

"What happened?" Karen cried as she rushed toward the couple.

"She collapsed because of a low blood sugar she—" Nathan stopped short when he saw two blondes running to catch up to Karen. "What the hell are they doing here?" He asked harshly.

"They were at the café when Haley called, I couldn't not bring them." Karen said.

"What's wrong with Brooke?" Lucas asked as he joined the group.

"Like you really want to know," Nathan scoffed.

"Nathan, what happened to Brooke?" Karen asked on benefit of her son.

"She's hypoglycemic and with this whole love triangle going on she wasn't able to get enough sugar in her system causing her to faint and have seizures." Nathan explained.

"Is she okay?" Peyton asked.

"We tried giving her some juice at our place but that didn't help. She was unconscious by the time paramedics got to the house and there was no change in her condition on the way to the hospital so we really don't know if she's okay right now." Haley told everyone.

"She never said anything about being hypoglycemic." Lucas said as he sat down in the waiting room.

"You didn't know?" Karen asked.

Lucas shook his head.

"Did any of you know about Brooke's condition?" Karen asked the group.

Everyone shook his or her head 'no.'

"Not even you Peyton?" Haley asked.

"Not even me," Peyton said quietly as a single tear rolled down her face.

As the group waited to hear word on Brooke's condition, Karen called Keith to let him know where she was and he said he was on his way. She then called Deb to tell her to close the café for the rest of the day.

"Haley, did she look like she was in pain?" Lucas asked after a few minutes of silence.

"What do you care?" Nathan angrily spat at him.

"I love her!" Lucas screamed, earning angry glances from the hospital staff.

"You have one hell of a way of showing it then!" Nathan yelled as he jumped up from his seat.

"You have no—" Lucas stopped short when he saw a copious amount of doctors rush into Brooke's room.

Haley gasped when they opened the door revealing a convulsing brunette who looked scared and alone.

"What's going on?" Peyton asked.

"How would we know?" Haley answered.

After what seemed like forever, a doctor emerged from Brooke's room.

"Is there anyone here for Brooke Davis?" He asked.

All six rushed up to the doctor.

"Are any of you family?" The doctor asked.

"I'm her mother," Karen lied.

"Can I speak with you in private?"

"Anything you have to tell me you can say in front of her friends too." Karen said to the doctor.

"Brooke's hypoglycemic. That is what caused her to have the seizures this morning because there wasn't enough glucose being transmitted to her brain, but we also found something else." He said.

"Part of the bullet that was extracted eight weeks ago was still in Brooke's leg. That part of the bullet was contaminated with an unknown substance, which caused a lot of harm to Brooke's system. Right now she's in a coma." The doctor said softly.

"She'll wake up, right?" Karen asked the one question that was on everyone's mind.

"I'd prepare for the worst. Ms. Davis has a very very slim chance of surviving this."

All six were at a loss for words. No one would ever get to hear her infectious giggle again. Lucas would never get to hold her in his arms again. Peyton would never get to call her B.Davis and talk about all the girly things like best friends do. Haley would never hear her call her by the nickname she was so proud she had thought of, Tutor Girl. Nathan would never get another chance to protect the girl he cared for like a sister. All because of Jimmy Edwards.

"Mom, what am I supposed to do?" Lucas cried as tears began streaming down his face.

Karen didn't know what to say to make her son feel better, hell she didn't even think there were words to make someone feel better when they found out that someone they loved was about to die. She looked to Keith for help but he just shrugged his shoulders. He loved Brooke like a daughter; sure, he may not have cared for some of the choices she made but she was an amazing girl who had the biggest heart.

"Can we go see her?" Nathan asked the doctor.

"Of course, she's right down the hall in room 323." The doctor said as he pointed to her door.

The six walked slowly down the hall bracing themselves for when they opened the door to see Brooke. Except, none of them could have been ready to see her in the state she was in when the entered the room.

"Oh my god," Lucas whispered as he moved toward her.

Machines were beeping at a constant rate letting the group know that she was still breathing, but not on her own. She looked lifeless as her pale body lay in the hospital bed.

"Brooke, I need you to wake up for me." Lucas said as he sat down next to her, grabbing her fragile hand.

"You're lucky this is as serious as it is because if it weren't, you two wouldn't be allowed anywhere near her." Nathan told the two blondes.

"Nathan," Haley scolded.

"No. I'm not going to sit around and pretend everything is okay. You both hurt Brooke beyond belief. Lucas, not even two hours after Brooke breaks up with you you're out screwing Peyton! You want to know why she's in this hospital? It's because of you two. She was too depressed to eat causing her blood sugar to drop resulting in seizures. So if she dies, we have no one to blame but you and Peyton!" Nathan screamed as tears began to cloud his vision. He knew that the hypoglycemia had brought Brooke to the hospital but it wasn't what was keeping her here. No one could have known about the piece of the bullet still in her leg. He just needed someone to blame for everything that was going on, and those two people were Lucas and Peyton.

It broke Haley's heart to see Nathan acting so out of character. She knew he was suffering on the inside but she didn't know how much Brooke's condition had affected him until his outburst. He was scared to death of losing Brooke.

"Get out, Peyton." Lucas said as he stared at Brooke.

"Wh-what?" Peyton whispered.

"You heard me. You have no right to be in here with her."

"And you do?" Peyton countered.

"I may have done a shitty thing, but at least I wasn't the one who thought of a plan to hurt Brooke. That was you." Lucas said through clenched teeth and making eye contact with the blonde for the first time that day.

Peyton let out a whimper before she scrambled out of the room and slammed the door.

"You shouldn't be here either," Karen told her son. "You did a horrible thing to the girl who has been nothing but great to you."

"I know. But if I leave her now I don't know if I'll ever be able to live with myself if she dies." He whispered.

The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent sharing memories about Brooke and her antics. There were times when the group couldn't stop laughing but then there were times they were brought to tears.

"I remember this time a few months back, we were sitting in her room looking for her suitcase." Haley smiled. "We had searched her entire room but we couldn't find it. You would think that the first place someone would look would be under their bed but that was the last place she looked." She laughed. "So anyways, she pulled out a box that was full of envelopes, and I mean _full_. I asked her what it was and she quickly shoved it back under her bed after she got the suitcase out. I went back a few days later to try and find the box because it seemed like she didn't want anyone to know what was in there but curiosity got the best of me. So I looked under her bed but they weren't there. Now I'll never know what was in all those envelopes." Haley said sadly.

Lucas was intrigued in Haley's story from the very beginning but after she mentioned a box of envelopes, he was even more curious.

"Haley," Lucas said after she finished her story. "Go to Brooke's locker and bring me the box that's inside."

"What are you talking about?" Haley asked as she looked at him with a quizzical expression.

"Just do it." Lucas smiled.


	7. A Day With Anna

Chapter 7: A Day With Anna 

"Lucas?" Haley asked as she stepped back into the hospital room with the large box in her hands.

"Thank you so much." He said to her as he took the box from her.

"What's in there?" Nathan asked once Haley sat down next to him.

"82 letters, a bunch of pictures of Brooke and Lucas, some red feathers, a can of empty whip cream, and a few other things." Haley shrugged.

"Could those things be any more random?" Nathan laughed.

"She wrote me these letters but was too afraid to give them to me. The red feathers are from her devil costume from earlier this year and the can of whip cream is from when your mom caught us in the drugstore buying it with some condoms." Lucas chuckled.

"That must have been awkward." Haley giggled.

"If only you could have been there," Lucas smiled as he shook his head, reliving that day.

"So, are you going to read the letters?" Nathan asked after awhile.

"I don't know. I mean should I? Am I even entitled to read them?"

"My guess is no." Haley told her best friend.

"I'd say yes." Nathan felt the need to offer his opinion.

"Nathan, what Brooke wrote in those letters is obviously private and she really doesn't want Luke to read them because if she did he would have already read them. She would have given the letters to him when she wrote them if she felt that confident in their love. And, you two aren't even together right now." Haley pointed out.

"She has a point," Lucas shrugged as he looked over at his brother.

"She always does," Nathan replied sarcastically. "But seriously Luke, don't you want to know what she wrote? Aren't you the least bit curious?"

"I'm dying to find out what she wrote, but I'm scared to read them." He admitted.

"Let's make a deal. You can read them with Brooke when she wakes up –" Haley stopped short when she realized what she was about to say sounded extremely pessimistic and not what a best friend would say.

"Hales?" Lucas asked after she stopped mid-sentence.

"I just realized what I was about to say was super morbid."

"What were you going to say?" Nathan asked.

"I shouldn't say it."

"Haley." Lucas begged.

"I was going to say that you could ask Brooke when she wakes up if she would mind you reading them or if she doesn't wake up, I'm sure she would want you to read those letters."

"She's going to wake up, right?" Lucas whispered quietly as he looked over at Brooke.

Nathan and Haley both looked at each other, unaware how to answer the question. The doctor had told them to prepare themselves for Brooke's death, say your goodbyes and so on. But Haley and Nathan knew Brooke better than anyone and they knew she was a fighter.

"It's up to her, Luke." Haley told her best friend.

--

_"Mrs. Sawyer?" Brooke asked as she ran towards the woman standing by the shore._

"_Brooke, sweetie it's so good to see you!" Mrs. Sawyer exclaimed. _

"_What's going on?" Brooke asked as she looked around her. Everything seemed so peaceful, so serene, like there was nothing to worry about wherever she was. "Am I…dead?" She whispered. _

"_No, not yet. You're in a coma." Mrs. Sawyer told the brunette. _

"_Am I going to die, Mrs. Sawyer?"_

"_Please, call me Anna," She smiled. "Everyone dies Brooke, but it's up to you if you're going to die now or 80 years from now."_

"_So why are you here with me?" Brooke asked. _

"_I'm here to act as a guide, show you how much you mean to everyone and how everyone's life would be different without you in it." Anna explained. _

"_It wouldn't be that different. Peyton and Lucas would have each other and they wouldn't have to worry about getting caught while sneaking around behind my back. Nathan and Haley have each other. Mouth has Shelly. Rachel has a different guy each week. Can't you see how if I died today, nobody's life would change? They all have each other, they don't need me." Brooke told Peyton's mom. _

"_We'll see about that." Anna winked. _

"_Anna?" Brooke asked as they walked down the beach. _

"_What's on your mind?"_

"_Can you see everything that happens down on Earth?"_

_Anna nodded. _

"_You probably hate me right now for the way I treated Peyton." Brooke mumbled. _

"_You have every right to be as upset with her as you are. She may be my daughter, but that doesn't mean that I agree with every choice she makes. I know how much she hurt you, Brooke. I also know that every friendship has the occasional fight but it's nothing two best friends can't get past. Besides, if it wasn't for you, you and Peyton wouldn't have the opportunity to fight because she'd be up here with me." Anna said as she pointed ahead of her to a funeral in process. _

"_What happened?" Brooke whispered. _

"_She overdosed on the drugs she bought from the man at Tric." _

"_I don't understand how I saved her though."_

"_You noticed she wasn't being her usual self, you told Lucas who called Jake. Jake's homecoming stopped her from doing this. You saved Peyton's life, Brooke." Anna told her. _

"_That's just one person. So what if I saved Peyton? She would obviously take it the hardest if I died anyways, I'm her best friend."_

"_You're best friends now? I thought you two were in a huge fight because she told you she still had feelings for Lucas." Anna smirked. _

"_You really think I could stay mad at that fake Goldie-Locks forever? C'mon Anna, she's my best friend." Brooke smiled. "But that doesn't mean that right when I wake up I'm going to forgive her. She had sex with Lucas not even one hour after we broke up!" She cried. _

"_I know. And if I were still alive you have no idea the severity of her punishment would be for doing that to you. Boys come and go, but girlfriends are for life." Anna said. _

"_So, who else's life do I have an influence on?" Brooke asked. _

Lucas Eugene Scott

Beloved Son and Friend

August 24, 1990 – January 6, 2008

_"Lucas would have died if I wasn't part of his life?" Brooke asked._

_Anna nodded. _

"_Would everyone be dead if it wasn't for me?" Brooke joked. _

"_Do you recognize his date of death?" Anna asked. _

"_Yeah, it's the day of the school shooting."_

"_And why would Lucas Scott have died that day if it wasn't for you?" Anna asked. _

"_Because I was in the school and he ran back in." Brooke whispered. _

"_Exactly."_

"_Wait!" Brooke yelled. "Lucas would have never gone into the school if it wasn't for me being in there, so how would have he gotten shot?" She asked Anna. _

"_He would have shot himself." Anna responded. _

"_W-what?" Brooke stuttered._

"_You didn't have the nickname 'Broody' for nothing. Lucas would have been the gunman that day if it weren't for you. You changed his life for the better, Brooke."_

"_I don't understand how if it wasn't for me, Lucas would have felt the need to bring a gun into school, shoot up the school, and then turn the gun on himself. It just doesn't make sense. Lucas isn't that kind of guy. He wouldn't hurt an ant!" Brooke cried. _

"_That's the Lucas Scott who has Brooke Davis in his life. The Lucas Scott who shot up the school before turning it on himself didn't know that girl." Anna told her softly. _

"_This isn't some story, right? This is what really would have happened if I didn't exist?" Brooke was having a hard time grasping the fact that the two people she cared the most about wouldn't be living if it weren't for her. _

"_This isn't a story, Brooke. It's all true." _

"_So it's kind of like an alternate universe?" She asked._

"_You could say that." Anna shrugged. _

"_Is that Nathan?" Brooke asked as they approached him. _

_Anna nodded. _

"_What happened to him?"_

"_If it wasn't for you trying to get Haley and Nathan together, Nathan would have turned out exactly like his father. Alone and selfish." Anna told the brunette. _

"_What happened to Haley?" Brooke asked about the girl she had grown close to in the past two years. _

_Anna pointed over to the left to a girl who looked extremely lost, almost as if she was longing to be part of something. _

"_She would never have met Nathan." Brooke whispered. _

"_She would have never met anyone besides the people she helped in the Tutor Center." _

"_So she would have been Haley James: Tutor Girl." Brooke stated. _

"_Yeah." Anna agreed. _

"_What's so wrong with that?" Brooke asked. "She would have been the same person she was when I met her, and she was a great person back then. I didn't exactly change her life." _

"_But you did, Brooke." Anna said as she pointed to her right where a mother and father were playing with their little boy. _

"_Is that Naley's son?" Brooke asked, shocked. _

"_If it wasn't for you, James Lucas Scott would have never been born." Anna smiled. "Granted he won't be born for another year and a half."_

"_And I wouldn't know what true love is if it wasn't for those two." Brooke said softly. _

"_Brooke, you have no idea how much you have changed the lives around you and you will continue to change lives until the day you die. Sweetie, you are an amazing woman and I know that Lucas and Peyton hurt you but they will never forgive themselves if you die today. They didn't get the chance to tell you how much you mean to them." Anna pointed out. _

"_They have a hell of a way of showing they love me." Brooke huffed. _

"_Brooke," Anna warned. _

"_I'm sorry. But how am I supposed to just forgive them for what they did?"_

"_Do you really think that you can live without Lucas and Peyton in your life?" Anna asked. _

_Brooke didn't respond. _

"_You know, you can be extremely stubborn sometimes." Anna laughed. _

"_I am a Taurus," Brooke defended. "And they're known for being stubborn."_

"_So you're going to blame this on your zodiac sign?" Anna tried to keep a straight face. _

"_Yes." Brooke answered. _

"_I miss you way too much, Brooke." Anna smiled. _

"_I could stay here with you if you wanted. You did say it was up to me whether or not I die today or 80 years from today." Brooke pointed out. _

"_Yeah, but I thought that after I showed you everything you'd be begging to go back."_

"_I want to go back, but I just feel bad leaving you here by yourself. I mean who do you hang out with? Do you know a lot of dead people?" Brooke asked. _

"_It's kind of like the first day of school. You meet new people all the time. I have plenty of friends, Brooke. And besides, I need you to go back and watch over Peyton for me." _

"_I thought you could do that from up here." Brooke stated. _

"_I can watch over her in the aspect I can see where she is whenever I want, but you can stop her from making decisions that could harm her, you can talk some sense into her when no one else can. You can prevent her from doing things you know I wouldn't want her to be doing. You're a good friend to her." Anna told her. _

"_I'm going to miss you, Mrs. Sawyer." Brooke said. _

"_I'm going to miss you too, sweetie." Anna said as she pulled Brooke toward her. "Tell Peyton I love her and not a day goes by that I don't think about her." _

"_You really think she's going to believe me when I tell her I hung out with you all day today?" Brooke asked. _

"_She's heard crazier things," Anna laughed. _

"_Now I know that you're not going to be happy but I'm not going to patch everything up with Peyton right away." Brooke stated. _

"_I know, and I don't blame you. But just so you know that everything works out," Anna said as she pointed straight ahead of her. _

"_Why are you showing me old women?" Brooke asked, trying not to laugh. _

"_See the two old ladies that are chasing each other on their motorized scooters?" Anna asked as they stepped closer. _

"_That's me and Peyton." Brooke gasped. _

"_You two are going to be best friends until the day you die." Anna told her. _

"_Oh my god." Brooke squealed. _

"_What's wrong?" _

"_I have a wedding ring on." She said softly, Anna could barely hear her but she did. _

"_You were a beautiful bride, too." Anna beamed. _

"_Who's my husband?" Brooke asked. _

"_I'm sorry, I can't tell you that." Anna smiled. _

"_You can see into the future and bring me into the future but you can't tell me who I'm going to marry?" Brooke cried out in disbelief. _

"_He's a good man and you'll never have to doubt his love for you." Anna told her. _

"_Thank you so much, Anna. For everything." Brooke said as she pulled her into another hug. _

"_Don't forget to tell Peyton what I told you and I can't tell you exactly who you're going to marry but I can tell you this; people who are meant to be together always find their way in the end." Anna smiled. _

_Brooke's eyes immediately filled with tears. Anna had just confirmed that she and Lucas would make it. She confirmed that no matter what life throws at them, they would be able to overcome it…together. _

"_Good-bye Mrs. Sawyer." Brooke said as she walked away from the woman who was more of a mother to her than her own mother. _

"_Bye Brooke, I love you." Mrs. Sawyer whispered. _

"_I love you too." Brooke said as a single tear ran down her porcelain skin. _

"…Remember when Rachel caught her Brooke-ing herself when we all went to the cabin?" Haley laughed.

"That was so not funny." A weak voice called from the hospital bed.

"Brooke?!" Haley, Nathan, and Lucas all gasped.

"Can I please have a glass of water?" She croaked.

"Here you go Pretty Girl." Lucas said as he helped her sip the cold water.

"Thanks," She said meekly.

"I can't believe you're awake!" Haley exclaimed as tears sprung to her eyes.

"Why? I was just in a coma, people wake up from those things all the time."

"There was a complication with the bullet that was lodged in your leg. They didn't get it all out last time and some substance leaked into your bloodstream, which almost killed you. The doctors told us all to say our goodbyes because they were positive you weren't going to wake up." Lucas explained.

"I could never leave you guys," Brooke smiled.

"We're going to go. You two need to talk." Nathan told the couple as he and Haley walked toward the door.

"Their son is the most adorable little boy I have ever seen!" Brooke squealed after they left the room.

"What are you talking about?" Lucas asked, he was very confused.

"Me and Mrs. Sawyer hung out the entire time I was in a coma and she helped me see how everything would be if I didn't exist, or if I didn't make the decisions I've made so far." Brooke tried to explain.

"Wait, dead people can see into the future?" Lucas asked.

"Apparently." Brooke shrugged.

"Did she show you your future?" He inquired.

Brooke nodded.

"What was it like?"

"We really have bigger issues to deal with right now, Luke. You slept with my best friend not even one hour after we broke up!" She yelled.

"I know, and I'm so so so sorry Brooke!"

"You've been saying that a lot lately. We were doing so well and then she waltzes in and tells me she still has feelings for you, you screw her, I have a seizure and end up in a coma where I find out we get married and spend forever together and –"

"Wh-what?" Lucas stuttered.

_Shit. _Brooke silently curses herself for saying that last piece of information aloud. He wasn't supposed to know that.

"What?" Brooke asked choosing to play dumb.

"You know what." Lucas told her.

"Anna showed me my future and me and Peyton are chasing each other around in the nursing home and I saw a wedding ring on my finger so I asked her who's my husband. But apparently there's some stupid rule up in heaven that you can show someone their future but you can't tell them everything about it, so as I was leaving she whispered that people who are meant to be together always find their way in the end. You're the only person I've ever said that to so I'm guessing there's a pretty good chance that you're my husband." She explained.

"And how do you feel about that?" Lucas asked trying his best to hide the excitement that was racing through his body at the moment.

"Scared and excited all at the same time. I mean obviously we work through this whole love triangle issue because I clearly saw my future but I'm just not sure how I'm supposed to get from here to there."

"We can start with us getting back together." He suggested.

Brooke shot him a death glare.

"I'm serious!" He exclaimed.

"You really think that getting back together is going to solve everything?" She asked.

Lucas nodded.

"And how are you going to get over your feelings for Peyton while we are together?"

"I don't have any feelings for her!" He yelled.

"Yet you screwed her." Brooke replied bitterly.

"Brooke, how many times do I have to tell you I love _you, _not Peyton! What else can I say to convince you that you're the person I want to spend the rest of my life with?"

"How about the way that you show it Luke? It's the little things that you do that show me how much you love me. Like when you come home and I'm asleep on the couch and you'll lay a blanket on top of me so I don't get cold. It's the little things like that that matter." She said softly.

"Brooke," Lucas whispered as he climbed into the hospital bed. "I was so scared when the doctor told us you weren't going to live. I kept thinking about how the last thought you'd ever have of me was me screwing Peyton. I am so sorry that that happened. I went over there because I knew that what you had just done was completely out of character for you so I went to confront her. She had an elaborate plan to seduce me and then have sex with me. You have to believe me when I tell you that, Brooke. I love you Brooke Penelope Davis, not Peyton."

Brooke slowly nodded her head as she rested it against Lucas' chest. She knew that her and Lucas were supposed to be together, Anna had basically told her that, she just didn't know how to get from here to there…

--

**A/N: Alright, so everyone liked this chapter. I'm not really sure where to go from here so if anybody has an idea for this fic, I'm really interested to hear them!**

** Review please! **


	8. The Start of Something New

Chapter Eight:

Chapter Eight: The Start of Something New

Brooke awoke the next morning to the loud heart monitor that was beeping beside her. When she opened her eyes, she realized that Lucas had spent the night with her, cuddled up right beside her squished in the small hospital bed.

"Luke," Brooke quietly whispered while gently shaking him trying to wake him up.

Lucas immediately popped his head up at Brooke's touch.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I was just a little squished and I didn't know that you were allowed to stay the night here with me." She whispered.

"Well, being the son of Dan Scott comes in handy once in a while." Lucas shrugged.

Brooke stared at him, clearly confused.

"Dan Scott, Mayor of Tree Hill. I had a few strings pulled to get the permission to stay here." He smiled.

"Luke, why'd you stay?" Brooke asked as she shifted in the bed.

"Because I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"There are nurses and doctors for that kind of stuff." Brooke retorted.

"Brooke-" Lucas started.

"No, just because you waltz right in here and act all heroic doesn't mean I'm going to forgive you for what you did to me." She yelled.

"Where is this coming from? Last night things were fine between us."

"**You** thought things were fine between us." Brooke clarified.

"We're supposed to be together, Brooke. Anna proved that to you." Lucas said, growing aggravated.

"How do you know that? Maybe I say it to someone else. You know, the world doesn't revolve around Lucas Scott."

"No, it revolves around Brooke Davis." Lucas replied harshly.

"Get out." Brooke told the tall blonde.

"Brooke-"

"I said get out."

--

"So how's Brooke?" Haley asked Lucas as he stumbled into their apartment.

"Not good I'm assuming." Nathan responded as he glanced at his brother.

"Not good is right." Lucas huffed as he slouched down on the couch beside the happy couple.

"What happened?" Haley asked.

"I thought things were fine last night but apparently they were anything but. So today when she woke up she didn't know I was still there so she freaked out and started yelling at me and then told me to get out." Lucas responded.

"You've had a wonderful day." Nathan smiled.

"Nate, I really don't need this from you." Lucas scoffed.

"I'm sorry, but you got what you deserved." He shrugged.

"Boys, do I have to put you in neutral corners?" Haley intervened.

"No." Both replied.

"Good," Haley smiled. "So what'd she think when you showed her the box of letters?"

"Shit." Lucas exclaimed.

--

"What the hell?" Brooke mumbled as she looked over to the bedside table.

"What a way to welcome someone who came to visit your skanky ass."

"Rachel?" Brooke gasped as she turned her attention to the hospital door.

"Yeah, don't act all surprised." Rachel said.

"Why are you here? So you can rub it in my face that you'll be taking over as cheer captain for the next few weeks while I recuperate?" Brooke asked harshly. Rachel Gattina was not one of Brooke's close friends. Not after she tried to seduce Lucas during the fantasy boy draft.

"No, I came to see you because you need a friend right now."

"I have Haley." Brooke countered.

"But she has Nathan," Rachel smiled. "And apparently Peyton has Lucas."

"I thought you were supposed to make me feel better, not worse." Brooke said, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm offering to start fresh with you, Brooke Davis." Rachel offered.

"And why would you want to do that?" Brooke asked.

"Because I've never had a real friend before and the way you and Peyton were makes me jealous because I've never had that before." Rachel said honestly.

"You're really serious about this?" Brooke asked, her demeanor changing into one of compassion.

Rachel nodded as she smiled at Brooke.

"Hi, I'm Brooke Davis." She smiled as she extended her hand to Rachel.

"Rachel Gattina. Nice to meet you." Rachel smiled.

"So everyone knows about me now?" Brooke asked.

"What?"

"I'm assuming the school found out about my 'condition' and that's how you knew." Brooke told her.

"Yeah, everyone knows but they don't think of you any differently. You should see your locker; it's totally pimped out. It actually looks like you died or something because there are so many cards and trinkets around it. It kind of makes me want to go into a coma." Rachel shrugged.

"You're actually quite funny." Brooke laughed.

"Thanks," Rachel smiled. "Where should I put this?" She asked as she showed Brooke the flower arrangement she brought with a balloon attached reading _It's a Boy!_

"On the table," Brooke motioned to her bedside. "What's with that balloon?"

"Oh, it was the only one left in the gift shop and I didn't want to come in here with nothing." Rachel told her.

"This is the start of a beautiful friendship." Brooke smiled as she patted the bed next to her.

Rachel looked at her as though she had about ten heads.

"I don't bite, and like you said I really do need a friend right now." Brooke said softly.

Rachel climbed into the bed beside Brooke while the room engulfed an awkward silence. The situation became even more awkward when Brooke began crying and rested her head on Rachel's shoulder.

"Brooke, I'm so not the person that knows how to deal with this." Rachel told her calmly as she began rubbing her back.

"What's so wrong with me? Why does everyone leave me? Nathan has Haley, Peyton screwed Lucas, and my parents left me. I'm all alone"

"Brooke, don't throw yourself a pity party. I'm here for you and we're going to get you through this." Rachel comforted her.

Brooke slowly nodded her head against Rachel's chest.

"You want to know a secret?" Rachel whispered a few minutes later.

Brooke nodded.

"Remember the boy draft?"

Brooke shot Rachel a death glare.

"I take that as a yes. Anyways, Lucas and I went to the River Court that night and played basketball. It was completely innocent until I took my shirt off."

"How is this supposed to make me feel better?" Brooke interrupted.

"I never said this was going to make you feel better, I asked you if you wanted to know a secret. Besides, you didn't let me finish, you're probably thinking Lucas and I had sex but you are so wrong, Brookie."

"Finish the story and please don't call be Brookie." Brooke pleaded.

"Well, Brookie, he would not stop talking about you and how amazing you were and everything else. I wanted him to focus on me so I thought that maybe if I stripped in front of him he'd get the idea. Let me tell you, that boy is dense. So as I was taking off my bra, a thought dawned on me, if you really were the one for him like he told me you were, it'd have to be destiny. So, I tied my shirt around his eyes and told him to shoot the ball through the hoop. He of course looked at me like I was crazy but I told him if you were the one you'd make the shot. He went up for the shot—"

"What happened?" Brooke asked.

"I was about to tell you before you interrupted." Rachel told her.

"Sorry," Brooke smiled.

"And I watched it and he listened but couldn't hear anything. He asked me what happened. I told him it went in. If that isn't proof that you two are meant to be together I don't know what is. I mean Brooke, he couldn't see a thing, I danced in front of him and he didn't laugh or anything."

"It was a lucky shot." Brooke replied.

"There was nothing lucky about that shot Brooke Davis and you better stop throwing yourself this little pity party." Rachel told her. "By the way, what's that box doing over there? It has all sorts of trash in it."

"That's not trash, those are my letters that I wrote that were in my locker. I don't understand how they got here though. No one knows about them."

"Well someone does now." Rachel shrugged as she jumped out of the bed.

"Where are you going?" Brooke asked.

"On my way in I saw this super cute guy in the waiting room. He's definitely your type." Rachel smirked.

"How do you know what my type is? We just decided to bury the hatchet." Brooke asked.

"I had a feeling everything would work out, now can I go get the hot guy?"

"Go get him, slut." Brooke laughed.

"I'll be back in a few!" Rachel smiled.

"Wait!" Brooke called after her. "What am I doing? What about Lucas?"

"You do your thing and let him do his, if it really is destiny you crazy kids will find your way back to each other." Rachel told her honestly.

--

"Watch the language." Haley warned.

"Who are you? My mother?" Lucas asked harshly.

"Sorry, but what are you flipping out about?"

"I left the box of letters at the hospital, Brooke wasn't supposed to know that I knew about them." Lucas said as he ran his hand through his short hair.

"This is bad." Haley groaned.

"Very bad." Lucas agreed.

"Maybe she won't notice them?" Nathan suggested.

Lucas and Haley both shot him a look.

"Just trying to think positive." He said as he began backing away from the two best friends.

--

"Brooke, meet Owen. His father had a heart attack so he's waiting to find out how he made out. I figured you two could keep each other company for a while." Rachel said as she entered Brooke's room with an extremely attractive man.

"Hi," Brooke said shyly.

"Hi." Owen replied as he stepped over toward the bed to shake Brooke's hand.

Rachel rolled her eyes as she left the room in search of some food, she hadn't eaten anything and was starving.

"I'm so sorry about her," Brooke said as soon as Rachel shut the door. "I mean you have bigger things to be worrying about with your dad and all."

"No, it's fine. I'd much rather be in here with a pretty girl like yourself instead of in the waiting room pacing around waiting to find out what happened." Owen told her.

"Is this weird for you?" Brooke asked after an awkward silence developed between the two.

"A little." Owen responded.

"I'm not the kind of person who usually does this, I mean Rachel saw you when she came in and thought 'Oh potential boyfriend for my new friend Brooke' and I'm so sorry about that."

"It's fine, and stop apologizing you've done nothing wrong." He smiled.

"You can sit down you know," Brooke said as she gestured toward the chair next to her.

"So what's your story?" He asked after making himself comfortable.

"How about you tell me yours first." Brooke smiled.

"Okay, I just moved here from Massachusetts because my dad got a new job and had to relocate to down here. I'm a senior in high school and I start my first day at Tree Hill High School on Monday, not really looking forward to that. Um, let's see what else can I tell you? I have a mom, a dad, three sisters, and a dog. I'm not sure what I want to do with my future but I do know that I want to make a difference in someone's life." Owen told her. "Your turn." He smiled.

"Well, my name is Brooke Davis and I'm a senior at Tree Hill High School so I'll show you around on Monday. I'm the student body president, I'm horrible at calculus, I used to have a best friend named Peyton and a boyfriend named Lucas but they screwed each other which landed me here. I hate being alone, I'm scared of what my future holds after high school and my parents abandoned me when I was a little kid." She told him.

"I'm sorry,"

"It's okay, you couldn't do anything about it." Brooke smiled.

"Owen!" Rachel exclaimed as she barged into the room. "The doctor wants to talk to you about your dad."

"Thanks," He said turning to Rachel. "I really liked talking to you, Brooke. What do you say we get something to eat tomorrow when you get out of here? I'd really like to see you before Monday." He smiled.

"That sounds great. Give me a call." Brooke said as she scribbled down her number on a piece of paper.

"I'll be seeing you." Owen winked as he walked out the door.

"What the hell was that all about?" Rachel squealed as soon as he was gone.

Brooke innocently shrugged her shoulders.

"Brooke Penelope Davis! Tell me what happened." Rachel demanded.

"I really have no idea. We didn't even talk that much but I feel like we hit it off right away. He's starting school with us Monday and I'm going to be showing him around."

"How do you think Luke is going to feel about this?" Rachel asked as she climbed into the bed with Brooke.

"I don't know," Brooke said as she snuggled up to Rachel. "And surprisingly, I don't care what he thinks about Owen."

"Do you like him?"

"Owen? I barely know him!" Brooke yelled.

"Brooke…"

"Maybe." Brooke replied.

"You so like him." Rachel rolled her eyes.

--

**Please review!! **


	9. I'm Not Going Anywhere

Chapter Nine: I'm Not Going Anywhere

"Well, Ms. Davis it appears you are all set to go." The nurse told Brooke the next morning. "Just make sure you take care of yourself so you don't end up back in here." She smiled.

"Don't worry, I have a few people watching out for me." Brooke smiled as she looked over at Rachel, Nathan and Haley.

--

"Brooke's out of the hospital." Nathan said as he met his brother at the River Court.

"How is she?" Lucas asked, sounding more desperate than he intended.

"She's doing well, Haley, Rachel and I dropped her off at her house. Haley had some kid to tutor and I promised I'd meet you here so Rachel offered to stay and keep Brooke company." He shrugged.

"Since when are Rachel and Brooke friends?" Lucas asked, confused.

"I have no idea, but I think Rachel will be good for her."

"How the hell would you know what's good for Brooke?"

"Well I know that you and Peyton are anything but good for her since you two screwed around. Brooke needs people who actually care about her and based on your actions, as well as Peyton's, I'd advise both of you to stay far away from Brooke." Nathan said, protecting the girl he'd always thought of as a sister.

"Nate, I really don't need this from you right now!" Lucas yelled as he slammed the ball down onto the court.

"Need what? Need me telling you how your ex-girlfriend doesn't need you anymore? It's the truth Lucas! You can't expect her to always forgive you after you break her heart, especially with her best friend! How would you feel if you had just broken up with Brooke and she goes out and has sex with me? How would that make you feel? She's not some robot who never feels pain. Put yourself in her shoes for once instead of always thinking about yourself." Nathan knew what he was saying was harsh but he also knew that his brother needed to hear it.

Lucas didn't anything. He just stood staring at his brother. Eventually, after Nathan had finished yelling at him, he left without saying a word.

--

"So, are you going to call him?" Rachel asked as she returned to the den bearing two pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

"He said he'd call me." Brooke answered.

"Has he?"

"No," Brooke sighed. "He probably did it as a pity favor, he thought 'oh, poor girl who was just screwed over by her boyfriend and best friend let me make her feel better by offering to hang out with her.'"

"Brooke, stop. Do you honestly think that Owen is that type of guy?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know. I just met the guy."

"Speaking of the devil," Rachel smiled as she held up Brooke's vibrating phone.

"Give it to me!" Brooke squealed.

"Hello?" Rachel answered.

"Rachel!" Brooke yelled as she grabbed for the phone.

"Hi, sorry that was Rachel." Brooke said meekly.

As Brooke carried on her conversation with Owen, Rachel flipped through the channels on the television searching for something worthy of her time.

"So, what'd he say?" Rachel's eyes growing bigger as she turned her attention onto her new best friend.

"His dad died yesterday." Brooke said sadly as tears flooded her eyes.

"Well that killed the moment." Rachel snorted.

"Rachel! His dad died while he was in my room taking to me. Do you not have a compassionate bone in your body?"

"Sorry, I just don't do well with death and tragedy." She shrugged.

"Well it's a part of life and you have to learn how to accept it." Brooke responded harshly.

"So what are you guys going to do?" Rachel asked trying to change the subject. She knew something was up with Brooke but didn't want to push it.

"He wants to get out of the house since everyone over there is crying and having a really hard time grasping the fact that he's gone so he's going to come over here in about twenty minutes." Brooke told her.

"You sure you want him seeing you look like that?" Rachel asked as she pointed to Brooke's sloppy attire.

"Oh my god, I need to shower and look cute in less than twenty minutes!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Lucky for you, I'm here to help." Rachel smiled.

Twenty minutes later, with the help of Rachel, Brooke looked stunning. Although she may have only been in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt with hardly any make-up on, she looked beautiful. Owen thought so too.

"You look gorgeous." He smiled as he entered the house.

"Thanks, you look good too." Brooke blushed.

"I'll leave you two alone. I'll pick up pizza for dinner tonight Brooke, see you around 8." Rachel smirked as she left the house.

"I'm so sorry about your dad." Brooke said as soon as Rachel left.

"Thanks," He replied as she shifted nervously in the foyer.

"We can go sit down," Brooke offered.

"That'd be great." Owen smiled.

"How are your sisters holding up?" She asked.

"They're doing okay, my mom's a mess though."

"I don't mean to be rude but if they're suffering like that why are you here with me?" Brooke asked softly.

"Because I needed to get away from everything for a little while. Besides, my dad wouldn't want us moping around because he's gone he'd want us out living life and enjoying every single second of it because life is way too short to live it on the sidelines watching it pass you by." He responded his voice quavering a bit.

"I know, but you need to mourn his loss. Take it from someone who's lived through this, you can't pretend like it never happened because it will come back and bite you in the butt." Brooke whispered.

"What do you mean you've lived through this?" Owen asked, confused.

"I mean I've lived through your pain, I know exactly what your feeling right now and although you think it's going to get easier if you just ignore it; it's not. It's just going to get worse and worse until you finally confront it and learn to accept what is." She said as tears began streaming down her face.

"Brooke, you don't have to tell me this—"

"I want to," Brooke cut him off. "Three years ago my brother died in a car accident."

"Brooke," Owen gasped as he pulled her shaking body towards his. "I'm so sorry."

"Peyton and Nathan are the only two of my friends who knew him. Lucas and I just got close a year and a half ago and he never really ran in my circle of friends so he never knew Ryan. Neither did Haley."

"Did you ever tell Lucas about Ryan?" Owen asked.

Brooke shook her head no.

"Why?"

"I know that you have no idea who any of these people are since you just moved here but I don't like people to see my weak side so I always pretend that I'm okay." Brooke rambled.

"You didn't answer my question, why didn't you tell Lucas about Ryan?" Owen asked again.

"I didn't want him to think I was weak." Brooke responded.

"That's not the real reason, Brooke," Owen said softly. "If it was then you would never have told me either."

"How can we just have met but you know me better than anyone?" She asked as she looked up at Owen.

"I don't know, but you can't keep dodging the question." He smiled softly.

"I didn't tell Luke because I hate when people see me vulnerable and I was scared that if I told him he would always worry if I was thinking about the accident and how come it wasn't me –"

"Y-you were in the car when it happened?" Owen asked.

Brooke nodded.

"I am so so sorry, Brooke."

"I didn't tell Lucas because I knew he would care too much and I know that to most people that would be a good thing, hell most people want someone to care but I've grown up my entire life with no one to care for me except a different nanny each week. I didn't know how to let Lucas in, so I didn't tell him."

"Why did you tell me?" Owen asked.

"Because you've lost someone too and I would never want anyone to go through something like that alone like I had to."

"Weren't your parents there for you?"

"They stayed for the funeral, which I couldn't attend because I was still in the hospital, but then they left for Paris and I haven't heard from them since." Brooke explained.

"How old was he?"

"He was about to graduate college, graduation was two weeks away." Brooke smiled. "He wanted to change someone's life, just like you, and he was so close to doing that. He was going to graduate with a degree in cosmetic dentistry. That way, he could make someone love to smile instead of hating their mouth and never showing any emotion of pleasure or happiness." She said.

"He sounds like a great guy," Owen said as he shifted positions so Brooke's head was now in his lap as he played with her damp hair.

"He was, he was the only constant in my life and the day he died was the day that everything fell apart. Peyton and Nathan helped me get through it but I was in a dark place after the accident. I just don't understand why it was him and not me."

"Brooke, don't play the 'what-if' game because it will bring you nothing but more heartache. Like what if my dad had never met my mom, would he have died? What if we never moved here, would he have died? There are a lot of what ifs in life but don't dwell on them, you're here with me right now for a reason, we just don't know the reason quite yet."

"Are you planning on being a writer or something?" Brooke asked.

Owen laughed at Brooke's randomness. "Why would you ask that?"

"You're really good with words." She shrugged. "I feel so bad, your dad just died and here we are talking about me and my problems. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, and I'd rather talk about you anyways."

"Can we just not talk about this anymore. We can talk more about Ryan later; I just don't want you to think I'm all dark and twisty because I'm not. I'm bright and shiny and –" Brooke's rambling was cut off by Owen's lips colliding with hers.

"Wh-what was that for?" Brooke blushed as she pulled away from Owen.

"It was the only way to get you stop rambling and—" This time, it was Owen's turn to be cut off by Brooke.

"I know that this may be sudden and soon but I really like you Owen." Brooke said as she took his hand in hers.

"I really like you too, Brooke." He smiled.

--

"Mom, I don't know what to do." Peyton whispered as she sat down next to her mother's grave. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I'm just so confused about Jake and about Lucas. I don't know what to do anymore because I have no one. You're gone, dad's at sea, I messed everything up with Lucas, Brooke practically disowned me, Nathan and Haley are on Team Brooke and Jake has Savannah down in Georgia. I know that I need to make things right with everyone, I just don't know where to start." She sobbed.

As she looked up from the grave, a soft wind began to blow and almost as though it were her mother trying to say something, a leaf blew down from the tree and landed on Ryan Davis' gravestone. Peyton knew what she had to do.

--

"Spill." Haley demanded as she poured a cup of coffee for her best friend.

"How do you know there's something to spill?" Lucas asked as he took a sip.

"One, you're my best friend. Two, you're supposed to be playing basketball with Nathan, and three you came in here all broody and didn't say hi when you walked in. You always say hi." Haley said proudly.

"Nathan and I got into another argument."

"What else is new?" She laughed.

"Not helping." Lucas scowled.

"Sorry, but you two need to figure this out on your own."

"You know if I wanted that advice I would have gone to my mother." Lucas said sarcastically.

"Go work this thing out with Nathan." Haley smiled as she took Lucas' coffee and finished it off.

"I was going to finish that."

"No, you were going to go work things out with Nathan." Haley smirked.

"You're lucky you're my best friend." Lucas shook his head.

"I know."

--

Thick blonde curls bounced up and down with each step as Peyton walked up the long driveway to Brooke Davis' house. She was on a mission and nothing was going to stop her.

Except maybe Rachel Gattina.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Rachel asked as she walked up the driveway following Peyton.

"I could ask you the same question." Peyton shot back.

"I live here now." She replied.

"Do you have a newspaper?" Peyton asked.

"No, why?" Rachel asked.

"Because I wanted to check if any of the headlines read: _Hell Freezes Over, _or _Pigs Fly over New York_ because that's when I'd believe that you live here with Brooke."

"Well believe it. Why are you here?"

"I came to work things out with Brooke."

"I don't think Brooke wants to deal with your scrawny ass right now." Rachel told her.

"Well too bad, I want my best friend back."

"Who said she wanted you back? I doubt she will considering the circumstances." Rachel huffed.

"What are you her new best friend or something?" Peyton snorted.

"Actually, yes."

"Since when?"

"Since yesterday when we decided to start over and bury the hatchet." Rachel explained.

"Just tell her I stopped by, okay?" Peyton asked.

"Peyton," Rachel said, her voice softening a bit. "I know that you two have been best friends since like ever, but she needs time to heal. She's not going to forgive you for what you did right away. You did what you did and now you have to pay the price. When she's ready she'll come find you, until then I'd suggest examining who you truly are and what you truly want, not what you _think_ you want because those are two completely different things, Peyton." She said.

"Just make sure she's okay for me. I may not be her best friend at the moment but she's still mine." Peyton said as she turned back down the driveway.

"Peyton!" Rachel called.

Peyton whipped her head around and stared at the redhead.

"She's still your best friend you know, she always will be."

"I know, she just needs time," Peyton smiled weakly.

"She just needs time," Rachel confirmed as she walked into the house. "Whoa!" She exclaimed.

"Rachel!" Brooke squealed as she pulled away from Owen.

"I left and you two were extremely nervous around each other and I come home and find you two making out on the couch?"

Brooke nodded.

"What are you doing home so early? I thought you said you'd be home at 8." Owen asked.

"I got bored and decided to come home." Rachel shrugged.

"I see how it is," Brooke laughed.

"I guess I'll see you Monday?" Owen asked as he headed toward the door.

"Not so fast, handsome," Brooke smiled. "Why don't you stay here and have pizza with us. We could watch a movie too if you want." She suggested.

"Are you sure?" Owen asked looked at both Brooke and Rachel.

Brooke nodded eagerly.

"I guess," Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Rachel," Brooke scolded.

"Pepperoni sound good?" Rachel asked.

"With extra cheese!" Brooke yelled.

"Does she know about Ryan?" Owen whispered as Brooke led him up to her room.

"No, and she's not going to know about him." She responded.

"Brooke, why are in here?" He asked gesturing around the room.

"Don't get any ideas, I just need to change into comfy clothes and I didn't want to leave you downstairs with Rachel all by yourself. If my old best friend was any indication, you'll be attached to my hip 24/7."

"I don't get it." Owen shook his head.

"Never mind," Brooke laughed. "So, are you excited to start school on Monday?"

"Let's just say I was dreading it before I met you, but now I can't wait for tomorrow morning."

"Do you play any sports?" She asked.

"Basketball, I was the star shooting guard on my team back home. What about you, do you play any sports?"

"Captain of the cheerleading squad." Brooke said proudly.

"Really?" Owen asked impressed.

"Really," Brooke said as she pulled out her uniform. "But I can't cheer for about a week, doctor's orders." She said sadly.

"I can't wait to have you cheer for me, Brooke Davis." Owen smiled.

"Can I ask you something?" Brooke's voice suddenly becoming serious.

"Anything,"

"You're a really great guy and I really really like you but with your dad's sudden departure it seems—"

"Like it makes sense for us to pack up and move back to Massachusetts?"

"Yeah," She said softly. "I'm just so used to people leaving me that I want to be prepared for when you have to."

"I'm not going anywhere, Brooke. My mom already talked to us about it, it was our choice and we chose to stay because it's what our dad would have wanted us to do." Owen told her.

"Want to go pick out the movie?" Brooke asked, changing the subject.

"Sure." Owen answered.

"Hey slut! Pizza's here!" Rachel called up the stairs as Brooke and Owen began to descend them.

"Slut?" Owen questioned.

"Just one of her many terms of endearments." Brooke replied.

Owen laughed as he took the pizza box from Rachel's hands and brought it into the living room.

"No chick flicks!" He yelled as he began divvying up pieces to everyone.

"Owen!" Brooke pouted. "Those are the best kind of movies!"

"That's where you're wrong babe, horror movies are the best kind." He said as he pulled Brooke closer to him.

"I prefer comedy." Rachel announced.

"Great, so what do we watch?" Brooke asked.

"How about an adventure one with a little bit of romance, a little horror and a little comedy?" Owen suggested.

"And what movie would that be?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know, I was just trying to make all of us happy." He laughed.

"Let's just flip through the channels and see what's on." Rachel said as she turned the T.V. on and began channel surfing.

The remainder of the night was spent having many heated debates on different shows that were on. The three friends laughed and ate pizza until the wee hours of the morning. They all knew they would be exhausted the next morning, being a Monday, but none of them would have traded that night for anything in the world.


	10. First Day On A Brand New Planet

Chapter Ten: First Day On A Brand New Planet

"Rachel! Get up! We only have twenty minutes before we have to leave for school." Brooke exclaimed as she hurried into Rachel's room.

"Calm down Brooke, and since when do you care about school?" Rachel asked as she sat up in bed.

"I've always cared about school." Brooke replied.

Rachel snorted in laughter. "I haven't been here that long but even I could tell that you could care less about going to school."

"I've always cared, I just never really applied myself." She retorted.

" You sure it's not because a certain boy is going to be starting his first day today?" Rachel prodded.

"You really need to get up and take a shower, we don't have much time." Brooke said, dodging the question.

"Brooke and Owen sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love then comes marriage then comes Owen with the baby carriage." Rachel sang as Brooke groaned.

Twenty-five minutes later, Brooke and Rachel had arrived at school after stopping to pick Owen up. The three of them were laughing about the previous night and how they bickered about what to watch all night so they ended up playing every single board game Brooke owned. Peyton, Lucas, Nathan, Haley, Mouth and Shelly were all sitting at their usual table in the quad waiting for the first bell to ring. Mouth was the first to notice Brooke walking toward the school holding hands with Owen and laughing at something Rachel had said.

"Who is that guy?" Mouth asked as everyone's eyes drifted toward the three teenagers.

"She sure moved on fast." Shelly shrugged.

"You know nothing about her." Lucas said harshly as he quickly walked over to Brooke.

"Hey Brooke," He tried not to sound too upset. "Who's your new friend?"

"Luke, this is Owen Morello he just moved here from Boston; Owen, this is Lucas Scott." Brooke introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you." Owen said warmly as he offered his hand to Lucas.

Lucas shook his hand but didn't say anything to Owen. He just kept looking at Brooke and then back at Owen.

"What do you think is going on?" Nathan asked as he and the rest of the group watched from afar.

No one answered; they were all trying to hear the conversation between the three.

"Well as much fun as this is, Brooke, Owen and I really need to get to class." Rachel stated as she pushed away from Lucas and headed toward the building dragging Owen and Brooke behind her.

Lucas watched as they walked away, laughing and having a good time. He wondered how things were able to change this much in such a short period of time.

"Who is that guy?" Mouth asked again once Lucas had rejoined the group.

"His name is Owen and by the looks of it he and Brooke really like each other." Lucas said.

"How are you doing?" Haley asked her best friend.

"I hate that guy." Lucas said as he snatched his backpack from the table and made his way inside.

--

"Boys, I'd like you to meet Owen Morello," Whitey's voice boomed throughout the gym. "He just moved here from Boston and he's one of the best players I've seen in years."

"You have got to be kidding me." Lucas groaned.

"Be nice." Nathan warned his brother.

"I'll be nice to Owen when you can be nice to Chris Keller."

"Deal." Nathan laughed.

"Hey Lucas!" Owen called as he ran onto the court. "Do you have a minute?"

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay with me hanging out with Brooke and all. I know that you guys had a thing and I just wanted to make sure you were okay with us getting to know each other." He rambled.

"You really want to know how I feel?" Lucas asked.

Owen nodded as he sank a three pointer.

"I think you two make perfect sense together." He responded quietly before walking of the court.

--

"I think I just made the biggest mistake." Lucas said as he opened his locker in the locker room.

"What'd you do now?" Nathan asked.

"I told Owen to have at it with Brooke."

"You did _what?_" Nathan exclaimed.

"He just came up to me and asked me if it was okay to continue things with Brooke. What high school guy does that? He was concerned about me and wanted to make sure I was okay with the situation—"

"Why didn't you say you weren't? He would have backed off if you told him you still have feelings for her." Nathan interrupted.

"I know but I think that she needs him right now. I've never been that guy for her." Lucas wallowed.

"Stop doing this to yourself Luke, you've always been that guy for her. I mean sure you weren't there for her when she lost Ryan but you couldn't have been, you didn't know her then but you've been here for her now. You ran back into this school knowing there was a gunman on the loose and you saved her. That's got to account for something." Nathan tried to explain.

"Who's Ryan?" Lucas asked as he stared at his brother.

"She didn't tell you about Ryan," Nathan said more as a statement than a question. "Shit. She's going to kill me."

"I'm going to ask you one more time, who is Ryan?" Lucas asked again.

"I can't tell you who he was; Brooke should tell you." Nathan said as he headed toward the showers.

"Who the hell is Ryan?" Lucas asked himself as he exited the locker room. Unfortunately, he looked up from the ground just in time to see Brooke leap into Owen's arms and kiss him square on the mouth. "This is really going to suck." He whispered.

"Hi basketball boy." Brooke said.

"Hello pretty girl." Owen replied.

Brooke's body immediately tensed at his nickname for her.

"What's wrong?" Owen asked.

"Nothing," Brooke shook her head. "How was practice?"

"Good." Owen replied, deciding to leave out the part about his little talk with Lucas.

"Were the guys nice?"

"Yeah, Lucas is a great guy."

"You don't have to become best friends with him you know." Brooke said.

"I know." Owen responded as he bent down to grab Brooke's backpack.

"You also don't have to carry that for me." She said as she tried to take her bag back from Owen.

"But I want to." He said ask he kissed her forehead.

--

Instead of walking the long way home from school, Lucas decided to take the shortcut through the cemetery. As he walked beside the graves he thought about the time when he brought Haley there to tell her he was moving to Charlotte, he smiled at the memory. It seemed ironic to him that he was in the same boat right now as he was back then. He and Brooke had had the perfect relationship but then Peyton got involved and it only ruined things, that was almost a year ago and now here he was and the same thing had happened. He was almost out of the cemetery when he tripped on a tree root and landed flat on his face right next to Anna's gravestone.

"Sorry Anna." He whispered as he got up but something caught his eye, something that should have caught his eye earlier because he'd been here countless times with Peyton but never saw it. Two gravestones behind Anna's was a headstone that read _Ryan Davis – Beloved Son & Brother._ It all made sense now. The Ryan that Nathan was talking about was Brooke's brother Ryan.

--

"No Owen tonight?" Rachel asked as she plopped herself on the couch next to Brooke.

"No," Brooke sighed. "I really need to pull my calculus grade up and if he were here we both know no work would get done." She laughed.

"Brooke, you guys like just met and you're already going at it." Rachel pointed out.

"I know and I don't understand why. I've never been the kind of person that just dives into relationships. Lucas was the only real relationship I've ever had and I'm scaring myself at how easily I'm falling for Owen."

"It's all happening for a reason," Rachel said as she cracked open her calculus book. "Now let me help you with this crap."

Brooke, with the help of Rachel, was really starting to grasp the whole math thing until a loud, constant banging on the door tore her from the book.

"I'll get it, you keep working on those problems." Rachel said as she leaped from the couch to answer the door.

"Where the hell is Brooke?" Lucas yelled as he pushed himself in the door the minute Rachel opened it.

"Hello to you too, Lucas."

"Lucas? What are you doing here?" Brooke asked as she emerged from the den.

"Were you ever going to tell me about Ryan?" He blurted out.

"I'll be upstairs working on my English essay." Rachel said as she scampered up the stairs only to stop at the top behind one of the walls. Like she was really going to work on an essay when she could eavesdrop on Brooke and Lucas.

"How did you find out?" Brooke whispered.

"That doesn't matter, what does matter though is why you never brought your dead brother up in the eighteen months that we've known each other Brooke!"

Brooke remained silent as tears welled in her eyes.

"Are you going to say anything or are you just going to stand there?" Lucas asked as he moved toward her. "You accused me of not opening up to you and letting you all the way in yet you have a brother who died and not once did you think to let me know about that, not once Brooke." He said harshly.

"If you aren't going to say anything I might as well leave. Now I know that the demise of this relationship wasn't my entire fault as you so kindly made it seem. You're a hypocrite Brooke Davis." Lucas said as he turned to leave.

"I didn't want to burden you!" Brooke yelled. That was all it took for Lucas' hand to release the doorknob and turn back around to face Brooke.

"You thought you'd burden me?" Lucas asked in disbelief.

Brooke slowly nodded her head.

"When we're together, you're problems and demons and everything else you're struggling with become my problems and my demons and I will struggle right alongside you because that's how much you mean to me. I never want you to have to go through something alone, Brooke. I feel terrible that you had to go though Ryan's death by yourself." He said.

"How was I supposed to know that?" She asked tiredly.

"You just are." He responded with exhaustion in his voice.

"I'm not ready to talk about it with you yet, but when I am I'll come find you." Brooke said as she moved toward the front door.

"Does Owen know?" He asked.

"His dad had just died and he came over here and I didn't mean to tell him it just slipped out, I never meant –"

Brooke's rambling was cut off by Lucas' lips colliding with hers resulting in the most gentle and loving kiss either had ever experienced.

"It's okay, Brooke. You two make sense together." He whispered as he rested his forehead on hers.

"You shouldn't have done that." Brooke whispered, her breath shaky and uneven.

"I know." Lucas smirked.

"Then why did you?" She asked.

"I'll tell you when you tell me about Ryan." He said as he turned and left her standing in the doorway.

"What the hell just happened?" Rachel asked from the top of the staircase.

"I thought you were working on your English essay?"

"Yeah, like I write English essays," Rachel laughed. "But what happened? I thought you liked Owen now, not Lucas.

"I thought I liked Owen too." Brooke replied.

--

Words cannot express how sorry I am that I haven't updated this since September and my other story since August! I can't believe its been that long! Lately though, I just really haven't been too inspired to write anything because of the lack of Brucas scenes. I hope to update my other fic sometime this week and I promise that the updates will become constant again. The other fic only has a few chapters left and I already have a new story swirling in my head. I hope you liked this chapter and please review!!


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